Boateng bound for Manchester City

German international defender Jerome Boateng has joined Manchester City FC on a five-year deal from Hamburger SV for an undisclosed fee.

Currently preparing for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup, the 21-year-old made a quick trip to England to finalise the agreement following three years with Hamburg. The brother of Portsmouth FC midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, he made a total of 75 Bundesliga appearances for HSV – from whom City have also acquired Vincent Kompany and Nigel De Jong in recent years – and can play either centre-back or full-back.

"This is a very good signing for Manchester City and I am pleased to bring Jerome to the club," said City manager Roberto Mancini. "He is a young player who is already of a very high quality, but I think he can continue to improve at City. He can play a number of positions in defence, which is important. He has proved his ability in Germany and I think he can be a very important player for Manchester City in the Premier League."