Two-time German champions beat Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to signing of highly-rated Bafana Bafana star

German side Hannover 96 have confirmed the signing of Bafana Bafana defender Ime Okon.

Okon has landed in Europe after his contract with SuperSport United ended and has signed a four-year deal with the former German champions.

"This year's 13th summer signing brings a lot of potential to Hannover 96: Central defender Ime Okon, whose contract with South African Premier League club SuperSport United is expiring, is coming to Hannover 96," Hannover announced.

"The 21-year-old has signed a four-year contract until June 30, 2029," it added.

The club's Managing Director, Marcus Mann, praised Okon and said he is a player they had been keeping tabs on before they decided to bring him on board.

"Ime is a player with exciting potential and very good physical attributes. Christian Titz and André Kilian have been observing his development for some time," Mann said.

"We then collected data on him during scouting and evaluated his athletic profile, which is exceptional. It's quite clear that he will need time to adapt, but he is extremely willing to learn, so we definitely see the potential in him to develop really well," the official added.

"Now we want him to settle in well in Hannover and into our team."

While expressing his happiness for making the move, Okon described what kind of a player he is and said he will try hard to help the Bundesliga 2 side.

"I'm very happy to be signing with Hannover 96. I'm very excited about this challenge of being able to play in Germany. I'm really looking forward to the club, wanting to become a better player and mature as a person," the Bafana defender said.

"I would describe myself as a fast, robust defender – I'll try to bring these strengths to bear from now on and thus help the team."

Okon left SuperSport United at the end of his contract, which ended in June.

The highly-rated centre-back, who recently made his Bafana debut at the COSAFA Cup, has left for Germany after he was heavily linked with Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Initially, Okon had also been linked with clubs in Belgium and Croatia. He has finally achieved his European dream after previous trials with clubs that included FC Midtjylland of Denmark and Ukrainian heavyweights Dynamo Kyiv.

He joins Mzansi players who ply their trade in European clubs. Siyabonga Ngezana has been a sensational player for Romanian side FCSB, and Okon would love to emulate that in his new club.

Given the high-profile move he has made, he has thrown himself into more limelight, and his performance will equally attract a lot of scrutiny.