Valladolid official: Manchester City instructed Juma Ba to unilaterally terminate the contract and will seek legal redress

Real Valladolid issued a statement on Wednesday expressing strong dissatisfaction with Manchester City's alleged guidance of Juma Ba's unilateral termination of the contract, and has asked the legal department to take disciplinary measures.

Juma Ba, who is only 18 years old, was born in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. He followed Valladolid scout Pacho Martinez to Spain in August 2024. He was initially assigned to the Valladolid reserve team and made his debut in La Liga for the first team on September 21, 2024.

Juma Ba mainly plays as a central defender in Valladolid, and has played in 12 La Liga games and 1 Copa del Rey so far. His potential on the defensive end quickly attracted the attention of Manchester City, and the two sides are rumored to have reached a verbal agreement on the transfer.

According to Fabrizio Romano's previous report, Manchester City planned to sign Juma Ba and then loan him to Lens as a supporting measure for the Husanov deal. This move caused strong dissatisfaction from Valladolid, and the club immediately issued a statement condemning Juma Ba and Manchester City.

Valladolid said in a statement that Juma Ba and his agent proposed to the club yesterday to unilaterally terminate the contract, and the player himself missed today's morning training. Valladolid believes that Juma Ba's move may have been instructed by Manchester City and accused the player of violating his contractual obligations. Prior to this, Manchester City had requested to negotiate Juma Ba's transfer, but Valladolid refused.

According to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Juma Ba has paid the amount required for unilateral termination of the contract. Valladolid still insists that it will protect its rights through legal and sports channels.