Manchester City have reportedly added 18-year-old Real Valladolid protege Juma Bah to their list of potential defensive reinforcements for the summer of 2025.
Pep Guardiola's rearguard is suffering from a crisis of confidence ahead of Sunday's Premier League blockbuster against Liverpool, where the champions could fall 11 points behind the Reds in the top-flight table.
City head to Anfield on the back of suffering an unwanted Champions League first, becoming the only team in the history of the competition to blow a three-goal lead in the final 15 minutes of a match as Feyenoord somehow came away with a 3-3 draw.
That stalemate came a few days after a 4-0 home humiliation at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, and City are now without both a win and a clean sheet since the end of October.
The reigning Premier League champions have conceded at least twice in every game during their six-match winless sequence, and Guardiola has suggested that a squad overhaul could be in order in 2025 amid their unforeseen collapse.
Man City to make Bah move in January?
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According to The Sun, 18-year-old Valladolid starlet Bah has caught the eye of City chiefs, and the club have not ruled out making an approach for the teenager when the January window opens.
Bah is only on loan at Valladolid from Sierra Leone outfit AIK Freetong, but there is every indication that he will transfer permanently to a European club next year after seamlessly adapting to La Liga football.
The 6ft 5in defender has already made eight appearances for Real Valladolid across all competitions this season, including six starts in La Liga, and he has been called up to the Sierra Leone team on three occasions.
Bah is yet to make his senior debut for his country, but a maiden appearance for the Leone Stars will be in the pipeline should he continue earning regular minutes in the Spanish top flight.
Bah helped Real Valladolid keep a clean sheet against Real Sociedad on his La Liga debut in September, when he became the first-ever player from Sierra Leone to make an appearance in the competition.
City in four-way fight to sign Bah in January?
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City are apparently not alone in their pursuit of Bah, though, as Newcastle United, Everton and Crystal Palace are also said to have taken a liking to the towering teenage defender.
For the time being, Guardiola will contend with Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake as his senior central options, in addition to the young Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.
Dias was back on the bench against Feyenoord following a calf injury and has been tipped to return to the starting lineup for Sunday's blockbuster against Liverpool, which Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovacic will all miss through injury.
Rodri's season-long absence with an ACL problem has also heightened speculation that City could try to sign a new holding midfielder in January, and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi is rumoured to be near the top of their list.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, Atalanta BC's Ederson and Torino's Samuele Ricci have been mentioned as alternative options for the Citizens, who start the day third in the Premier League table after Arsenal's 5-2 win over West Ham United on Saturday.
Ben Knapton
