Jerome Boateng joins Bayern from Manchester City

Boateng spent all too much time on City's bench - if not the treatment table.

Jerome Boateng joins Bayern from Manchester City - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports

Germany defender Jerome Boateng is set to join Bayern Munich from Manchester City on a four-year contract.

Bayern said Thursday Boateng will arrive in Munich for a medical in the next few days and sign his contract. It said both clubs agreed not to disclose the transfer fee.

This is probably the best move for all parties, but I can't help but feel cheated somehow. Boateng was going to be a +10 after a good showing for Germany in the 2010 World Cup. But a succession of injuries, and the good form or Pablo Zabaleta, kept him of the pitch for most of the season.

Interestingly, "he is expected to partner up with Germany team-mate Badstuber in the centre of Bayern's defence." Evidently he prefers to play centrally. Have Bayern pulled a trick similar to Manchester United's (Smalling and Jones) and rebuilt their central defence for the foreseeable future? And how much of this spending amongst the top clubs is in response to Barcelona's absolute dominance of European competition over the last few years?

Richards could be out for a month

Richards fears derby woe - Yahoo! Eurosport

Manchester City defender Micah Richards feels a hamstring injury may rule him out of the FA Cup semi-final clash with rivals Manchester United.

Richards was stretchered off three minutes into England Under-21s 4-0 victory over Denmark on Thursday night, and head coach Stuart Pearce revealed the full-back fears the worst.

"He's got a hamstring problem and he's diagnosed himself as being out for four weeks - that's Dr Richards for you," said Pearce.

That would rule him out of Sunderland and @Liverpool and open the right-back spot for Jerome Boateng. Unless Zabaleta were to return from compassionate leave sooner than expected.

Boateng to Manchester City

JEROME BOATENG TO JOIN MAN CITY:

Manchester City have begun what is expected to be another busy transfer window by sealing a deal for Germany defender Jerome Boateng.

The 21-year-old will officially become a City player on July 1, having agreed a five-year deal to sign from Hamburg.

Boateng was in Manchester to confirm the details of the move before jetting off to South Africa to join up with the Germany team.

No fee was announced by the club, but it had been reported that Boateng would cost around 12.5million euros.