Ibrahima Ba's Agent Accuses Strasbourg: "There Were Salary Discrepancies"

Ibrahima Ba's agent has hit back at claims that the central defender's transfer to Strasbourg collapsed due to physical issues, instead pointing the finger at the French club. He accuses them of using the player's medical condition as a pretext to renegotiate the contract.

After L'Équipe reported that the transfer of the Senegalese U21 international was canceled following alleged problems detected during medical examinations, Alioune Seck released a lengthy statement on social media refuting that version of events.

The agent asserted that Ba had fully recovered from an injury sustained at the end of last season, noting that the player trained normally during his holidays and reported back to Famalicão early to prepare for the new season. "So, yesterday, lies took the elevator, while the truth decided to take the stairs. Obviously, the lies got there first because the elevator is simply faster. Everyone knows that Ibrahima Ba had a minor injury near the end of last season, which is why he didn't play the last 2 games. He trained during his holidays and joined his club ten days before the rest of the squad. At the start of pre-season, he was perfectly operational: he trained normally with the group and played in friendly matches," he wrote.

Seck also recalled that Hugo Oliveira, former Famalicão coach and now at Strasbourg, was the one who insisted on signing the center-back. "Do you think that if there were doubts about the player's health, his former coach would ask the new club to sign him for a record fee?" he questioned.

According to the agent, after Famalicão and Strasbourg agreed on a transfer fee of 15 million euros, plus an additional five million in performance-related add-ons, Ba underwent several hours of medical examinations and was informed that everything was in order, even preparing for his presentation photoshoot.

It was only in the final stage of the process that, according to the agent, problems arose. "When they presented us with the contract, we noticed a 33 percent difference in the annual salary. I personally informed the club that the player would not participate in the presentation session until the contractual situation was resolved," he revealed.

According to Seck, Strasbourg then called the entourage for a meeting and, shortly after, completely changed their narrative. "They told us there were concerns about the player's health and that we should wait a few hours for a decision coming from England," he wrote, referring to the BlueCo group, owners of the French club.

"After a long wait, I informed them that we were abandoning negotiations and returning to Portugal. And, to our great surprise, at the exact moment we left, it was reported by the media that the player had failed his medical tests. This is completely false," he stated.

"When we asked what the concern was regarding the player's physical condition, they told us that a doctor based in England thinks that, perhaps — I repeat, perhaps — the player might have a knee problem in six or seven years. Yes, you read that right: in six or seven years. By then, I'll be the president of the United States of Africa," he quipped.

"My player deserves a record-breaking transfer to a club. He is one of the best young central defenders in the world. Don't lie about medical tests or make predictions about the boy's health six or seven years from now. The word 'best' doesn't come cheap. If Financial Fair Play hits you with a heavy fine, that's not our problem either," he continued. "To all the people who like Ibrahima Ba, thank you very much for the support you have given us in the last few hours. Ibrahima is fine. He will come back even stronger than before."

It's worth remembering that, after the deal fell through, the 21-year-old central defender will return to Famalicão, despite also having attracted interest from Benfica in this summer transfer window.