City's Boateng joins Bayern Munich

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has quit Manchester City to sign a four-year deal with Bayern Munich, the German league giants confirmed on Thursday. The 22-year-old hastily left the City squad which was training in Los Angeles on Thursday, but is expected to arrive in Munich on Friday or Saturday for the medical examination. He is then set to start pre-season training with Bayern on Sunday with the German league set to resume on Friday August 5. His transfer to Munich is worth around 13.5 million euros, reports SID, an AFP subsidiary. "There were intense negotiations and it took a long time before we could get this transfer to a satisfactory conclusion," said Bayern chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "With Jerome Boateng, we have our favourite candidate for the central defence at Bayern Munich." Boateng's arrival will be Bayern's fifth summer signing along with Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Brazil defender Rafinha, striker Nils Petersen and Japan's rising star Takashi Usami. Having won the last of his 13 caps in the friendly draw with Italy in February, Boateng's arrival would help solve Bayern's defensive problems last season which saw them finish the 2010/11 campaign without any silverware. "Jerome Boateng is a young German international, who fits perfectly into our philosophy," said Bayern's director of sport Christian Nerlinger. Boateng's transfer means Bayern have yet another member of the Germany squad on their books in addition to captain Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Gomez, Toni Kroos, Holger Badstuber, Thomas Mueller and Neuer. Boateng transferred to Manchester last summer for 12.5 million euros, but failed to settle with the Premier League side and was rarely played in his favourite position of central defender. He is expected to partner up with Germany team-mate Badstuber in the centre of Bayern's defence.