Man City sign Boateng from Hamburg

Manchester City signed Germany defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg for an undisclosed fee on Saturday.

Boateng agreed a five-year contract with the Premier League club and will link up with Roberto Mancini’s squad after playing for his country at the World Cup.

“Jerome Boateng has agreed the terms of a five-year contract to join Manchester City from German Bundesliga side Hamburg SV,” a statement on City’s website confirmed.

Boateng was given a tour of City’s Eastlands stadium and training ground before joining the German squad ahead of the finals in South Africa.

The 21-year-old, who can play at centre-back or full-back, is reported to have cost around 12 million euros and is likely to be the first of several big-money signings to arrive at City during the close-season.

Mancini has been handed a substantial transfer kitty by the club’s Abu Dhabi-based owners despite the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League last season.

“This is a very good signing for Manchester City and I am pleased to bring Jerome to the club,” Mancini said.

“He is a young player who is already of a very high quality, but I think he can continue to improve at City.

“It’s good for Jerome to have agreed terms ahead of the World Cup, so he can now concentrate on playing for Germany. And I will be very interested to see how he gets on in the tournament, before welcoming him back to meet his team-mates in pre-season.”