German centre-back Jerome Boateng will continue his career at LASK Linz, where he will arrive as a free agent after leaving Salernitana with the Italian side's relegation to Serie B. It will be the first experience outside the big leagues for the veteran, who previously played for Hertha Berlin, Hamburg, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon.
Boateng joined Salernitana in the January transfer window, but made just seven appearances and was unable to help his new team to salvation. In his last season at Olympique Lyon, he also had no playing time and finished the season with only eight appearances, which means that in the last two seasons he made only 15 appearances.
The opportunity at LASK Linz will allow him to lower the level of his opponents a bit, also in order to try to regain some playing time. "It's absolutely crazy and unbelievable. He is an exceptional player and an international role model athlete," said LASK general manager Siegmund Gruber.
Boateng gave his view of what he expects from this new stage of his career: "I received numerous offers, but I consciously chose LASK because I was completely convinced by the sporting approach, the idea and the vision of the club."