The Colorado Rapids announced the signing of Bismark “Nana” Adjei-Boateng on Tuesday, acquiring the 22-year-old midfielder from Manchester City using Target Allocation Money. Adjei-Boateng will occupy an international roster sport and officially be added to the Rapids’ roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
“Bringing Nana to the club was a key part of our offseason strategy and we’re delighted to welcome such a promising young talent to our club,” said Colorado sporting director Pádraig Smith in a club release. “He’s a powerful player with the drive and energy to be effective box to box. He possesses great technique and vision and influences the game on both sides of the ball. We’re confident Bismark will make a smooth transition to MLS as he heads into the prime of his career.”
Adjei-Boateng joins the Rapids after spending the past four seasons on loan at Norwegian club Strømsgodset IF. During that time, the midfielder has tallied 18 goals in 101 appearances across all competitions and helped Strømsgodset win their first league title since 1970. Last season, he posted career highs in games played (29), games started (25) and minutes logged (2,224).
“We are pleased to add a player with the quality of Nana to our roster. He has a deep understanding of the game and a lot of technical ability,” said Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni. “At just 22, he has performed consistently at a top level in a very competitive European league for a number of years and we’re looking forward to his contributions in 2017.”
Born in Accra, Ghana, Adjei-Boateng was initially a member of the Right to Dream Academy from 2010-11 before signing his first professional contract with English giants Man City in 2011.
