Kevin-Prince Boateng moves to Italy
Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng has made the switch to Italy from Football League Championship outfit Portsmouth after joining Genoa on a permanent deal then immediately signing with AC Milan on loan.
The 23-year-old central midfielder has joined Genoa for a fee believed to be around £5m and will spend the 2010-11 season on loan with Milan, who already have a deal in place to make his move to the Serie A giants permanent next summer.
Boateng joined Portsmouth from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, but could not help the south coast club avoid relegation from the English Premier League. Pompey chief executive David Lampitt told the club’s website that: “We wish Kevin all the best. He played an important role last season and we thank him for that.”
Missed big penalty
The player was revered by Portsmouth fans after scoring a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final win over Spurs, but missed from the spot against Chelsea in the final. He also featured for his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, having helped Ghana to the quarter-finals at the tournament.
Despite having paid a significant fee to capture the player, Genoa president Enrico Preziosi said that he did not expect Boateng to feature for his club. He told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport that: "Milan have an unusual situation, as they have many players in the last year of their contracts and are keeping an eye on the balance sheet. Instead we had more of an opportunity to move for Boateng. For now he is joining the Rossoneri on loan. Will he return to Genoa? He could do, but in a way I hope he doesn't. If Milan buy him outright then it'll mean we both saw this is a great player and Genoa will have made a healthy profit.
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