Barcelona seal shock swoop for former Tottenham star

Barcelona have signed former Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng on an initial loan deal until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old former Ghana international has joined from Italian club Sassuolo on a deal that includes an option to buy for €8million (£7.1m).

Boateng, who joined Portsmouth from Tottenham in 2009 before going on sign for AC Milan a year later, will be presented to the media on Tuesday.

Mundo Deportivo had previously reported that Barcelona were working to sign a centre-forward to replace Munir El Haddadi.

The paper claimed the Blaugrana were looking for a very specific profile of striker – a veteran who will be content to be back-up for Luis Suarez and, ideally, with La Liga experience.

Fernando Llorente, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Olivier Giroud has all been mentioned, but former Spurs forward Boateng is the man that Ernesto Valverde wanted.

Boateng has played in LaLiga before with Las Palmas and Barcelona will be the 10th club of his career having already played for the likes of Milan, Hertha Berlin, Schalke and Borussia Dormund.

He has scored five goals in 15 appearances in all competitions so far this season having recovered from a pelvis injury last month.