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The vice-champion of Germany, Hamburger club, has acquired forward Boubacar Sanogo from the Ivory Coast, who previously played for the relegated Kaiserslautern club in the second Bundesliga. Although the player had a contract with his former club until 2009, he was sold for 3.5 million euros.
The 23-year-old African has already undergone a medical examination and trained with his new teammates, and he may play in the League Cup semifinals against Werder Bremen on Tuesday. These traditional pre-season matches will help Hamburger prepare for the Champions League third qualifying round against Osasuna in a week.
"Hamburger is a big club with great traditions and a superb team. I am proud to be at this club," said the player from the Ivory Coast, who scored 10 goals last season while playing for Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates before moving to Kaiserslautern.
The player, who has not yet appeared for the national team, is not the only young footballer to move to Hamburg this summer - the team has also been strengthened by 22-year-old striker José Paolo Guerrero and 20-year-old defender Vincent Kompany. In addition, the German club is reportedly aiming to acquire Argentine national team striker Javier Pedro Saviola to foil Bolton's plans to see him at the Reebok Stadium.
The future of the 24-year-old striker is uncertain, as he has spent the last two seasons on loan at Monaco and Sevilla, but he still belongs to the Spanish champions Barcelona, where there is no room for the Argentine.
The Greek giants Panathinaikos have made an offer, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger denied rumors of interest in the player after J. Saviola's agent confirmed that the Argentine would like to play for the North London team.
Despite interest from another Premier League club, Bolton, the striker has long been linked to this team, and it is believed that he could establish himself in the starting lineup there. Spanish media report that Hamburger has also expressed interest in this diminutive striker.
Hamburger has inquired about the player from Barcelona, and if the clubs can agree, they could offer him the opportunity to play in European competitions next season. The Catalan club recently confirmed that the South American has the potential to stay in the team, but he is unlikely to feature in coach Frank Rijkaard's future plans.
