22 January, 2019
The Blaugrana have announced the former Milan
man, who hopes to score in the next Clasico,
will move to the Liga champions
Barcelona have confirmed the somewhat
surprising transfer of Kevin-Prince Boateng from
Sassuolo.
Goal reported earlier Monday that the attacker
was on the verge of a shock move from the
Serie A side , who he joined this past summer,
to link up with the Liga champions.
The transfer includes a €8 million (£7m/$9m)
option to buy, while Barca will pay a €2m loan
fee for Boateng to feature for them the
remainder of the season.
The 31-year-old will be presented on late on
Tuesday morning, with a private contract
signing set to be followed with a photo session
on the Camp Nou pitch and a press conference
at noon UK Time.
A statement on the club's official website
reads: "Kevin-Prince Boateng is a player who
will surely adapt quickly to the team. With
experience of playing in four of the biggest
leagues in Europe, the Premier League, the
Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga, he is a man
who has scored goals wherever he has been.
"Furthermore, Boateng is a player who versatile
to a fault. During his time with Las Palmas with
Quique Setién as coach he played as an out and
out striker, a typical number ‘9’. However, he is
also able to play further back as he did at AC
Milan, scoring twice against Barça in his time
with the Rossoneri.
"His ability to bring people into the game
means he is excellent at playing behind the
main striker."
Before the Blaugrana's confirmation, Boateng
himself had announced the deal in an interview
with Sky Sports .
"Barca, I’m coming!" he said. " I’m sad to leave
Sassuolo but this is a great chance."
The attacker also downplayed previous
comments made about Barca's rivals Real
Madrid.
In a 2017 interview, Boateng answered he
preferred Real Madrid to Barcelona, while also
stating in the past that he could have made it at
the Bernabeu had he applied himself harder
earlier in his football career.
However, the player says his mind is on his
new club, and aiming to find the net against
Real Madrid when the two sides next meet in
the Spanish capital on March 2.
"Don’t ask me about Real Madrid... is just the
past! I only want to focus on Barcelona and I
hope to score at Bernabéu for the next Clasico.”
Barcelona will be Boateng's fourth club in the
past three seasons, though the former Ghana
international has fared well at each of his stops.
He found the back of the net 10 times in 28 La
Liga games for Las Palmas in 2016-17,
followed by a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the
Bundesliga, where he scored six goals in 31
league matches.
His time at Sassuolo also started well, as in 13
Serie A matches, Boateng scored four goals,
though he has not found the back of the net
since the end of October.
Boateng will fill in attacking depth for the La
Liga champions, as Barca manager Ernesto
Valverde admitted the club was looking for
options there after allowing Munir El Haddadi to
depart earlier in the transfer window .
He becomes the second addition during the
winter window, with Barca having also signed
Valencia defender Jeison Murillo in January.
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