Southampton involved in chase for ‘tremendous’ Man City ace, but star man may need to leave first

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Will Still could be joined at Southampton by one of his former RC Lens stars, but there is great interest in his services from across the Championship.

In the wake of their relegation from the Premier League this season, Southampton appointed Will Still to spearhead their promotion push next term.

Still led Lens to eighth in the French top flight this season, with a commendable 43 percent win rate, which saw the Saints fight to secure his signature this summer.

The summer transfer window will be imperative for the St Mary’s hierarchy to equip Still with stellar reinforcements, but “shuffling the pack” will be necessary for Southampton amid any business given their financial outlay last season.

Southampton have now made a “tremendous” centre-back a target for the window, but face multiple potential stumbling blocks in their pursuit.

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Southampton in chase to sign Manchester City ace Juma Bah

Southampton are in contention to sign centre-back Juma Bah from Manchester City, following his standout campaign on loan at Lens under Still this season.

In January, Sierra Leone international Bah terminated his own contract at Real Valladolid so he could make the move to the Etihad. Later in January, the defender was loaned out by City to Lens in Ligue 1 for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

6’5″ Bah featured 10 times for Lens under Still, and during the short loan stint, the 19-year-old cemented himself as one of the best central defensive prospects in European football.

As such, Still is keen to see Bah follow him to St Mary’s for next season, but the move may hinge on one of Southampton’s star men departing this summer.

In an EFL Analysis exclusive, our Chief Football correspondent Graeme Bailey revealed: “Juma Bah, the centre-half from Man City, I’m told that he is likely to go out on loan, but they’re currently assessing whether it’s going to be England or abroad.

“I think they are open to him going to the Championship, and an awful lot of clubs like him.

“He really is a tremendous young player. They got him from Spain, but obviously Will Still knows him well because he went on loan to Lens as a replacement for Abdukodir Khuasanov.

“Now, I don’t think Still played a massive part in that deal, but it’s obviously very easy for Southampton to look at that if Still did like him at Lens.”

However, the Saints may have to wait for Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ potential departure to facilitate Southampton’s swoop for Bah.

Bailey added: “Bah may well be their Taylor Harwood-Bellis replacement.

“The thing is, though, they may have to wait until Harwood-Bellis leaves, if he does leave, that is.

“But, there is a lot of interest in the Championship, and there are so many different avenues at the moment for him and a lot of players like him, because there’s still so long to go in this window.

“We see clubs talking to multiple players. It’s very much the Championship model, where they have maybe five deals lined up and only do one of them.

“It all depends on budgets and that’s just how it is. But yes, I do believe there is some interest in taking him to St. Mary’s.”

The potential deal makes sense for all parties involved, which would be a serious statement of intent from Southampton, and allow Bah to continue his Premier League “dream”.

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Juma Bah Southampton loan would be perfect for club, player and Manchester City

As we’ve seen with the best loan signings in the EFL this season, a season-long stint in the second tier can prove pivotal in the development of top footballing prospects, and that would similarly be the case with Bah at Southampton.

A loan move to the Saints, under a head coach who he is already familiar with, would allow the youngster to acclimatise to the rigorous nature of English football, gain regular game time, and continue on his “dream” trajectory to become a first-team regular at Man City.

Bah told BBC Sport Africa earlier this year: “It would be a dream for me to play with these great players at Manchester City.

“I usually play with them on PlayStation. Playing with them in real life will be amazing. I’m looking forward to go there and learn, and to have the best coach in the world. My aim is to win trophies.”

A loan move for the young talent to Southampton suits the player, bolsters Southampton’s backline with real quality, and will provide City with an improved Bah come the end of the 2025/26 Championship, if the Saints’ interest materialises into a move.