Bayern Munich extend Jerome Boateng's contract to 2018

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has extended his contract with Bayern Munich in a deal that will keep him at the Champions League titleholder through mid-2018.

The Bundesliga champion's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, says Boateng has become one of the club's "important players" and that it was only "logical" for Bayern to seek to keep him.

Boateng's original contract was to expire at the end of the next season. Bayern recently extended the contract of another defender, David Alaba, also until 2018.