The twists of this fraught season continue for Manchester City after Real Valladolid threw an inflammatory accusation that January target Juma Bah had been encouraged to break his contract.
A lengthy statement from the La Liga side dropped just as Pep Guardiola was putting the finishing touches to his team in their Paris hotel.
And the contents were meaty, Valladolid claiming that Bah – a central defender from Sierra Leone – was ‘supported and guided’ by the Premier League champions to opt against turning up for training on Wednesday.