The 30-year old midfielder joined Wanderers on a short term contract in September following a successful trial spell and it looked as if the former AC Milan player would be accepting fresh terms to stay at the Reebok Stadium when his contract expired however no deal has been signed and Allardyce is concerned over the player's long term future with the club.
"We have a slight problem with Ibrahim Ba as we haven't sorted his new contract out. Maybe another club has popped up out of the blue to compete with us. But I would be disappointed if he decided to leave here" Allardyce said
Middlesbrough had been linked with a move for the player before Christmas and despite the player saying he was settled with Bolton it now looks as if the expected new contract is less of a formality than first thought.