Other Sports of Saturday, 30 July 2016

Source: footballghana.com

KP Boateng to be unveiled as a Las Palmas player on Monday

Kevin-Prince Boateng Kevin-Prince Boateng

Spanish La Liga side, Las Palmas are set to unveil Ghana bad-boy, Kevin-Prince Boateng as their player on Monday.

The 29-year-old free-agent reached an agreement with Las Palmas on Thursday and is expected to cut short his holiday’s to sign the contract before posing with his shirt on Monday.

Las Palmas expect Boateng, who they view as a marquee signing to boost their shirt sales given that he has played for some of Europe’s most famous sides in recent years.

Celta Vigo, Valencia and Malaga were also interested in the player, and tried to sign him at the last minute, but the bonus of good relations between Las Palmas and his agent Federico Pastorello has proven key to the transfer.

The former Schalke man has played in Italy (AC Milan), England (Portsmouth and Tottenham) and Germany (Hertha, Dortmund and Schalke), with his desire this year being to play in Spain, after previously featuring in two World Cups and various Champions League campaigns.

After playing in at every youth level for Germany, Boateng was expelled from the national set-up due to his attitude, with FIFA permitting the player to feature for Ghana instead – the country of his parents’ origin.

For more acts of indiscipline, the player was shown the door by Ghana and Schalke too, two seasons after the Bundesliga club paid 12 million euros for his services.

The signing of Boateng will not be Las Palmas’ last, although the sporting directors are pleased with the additions of Helder Lopes, Marko Livaja and Macedo.

Real Madrid striker Mariano is another rumoured name, with it unlikely that the club will sell any wingers or strikers ahead of the new season.