“Boateng is a good player, a young player and strong. He plays for the national team and we have a good chance to get him.
“We are quite close to signing him. He can play central defender, right defender, or in the middle, three different positions. If we find a player like that, who can play in two or three different positions, it is better for us.
“Next year we will play in four different competitions, which means playing every three days, so we need those players who can play in a few different positions.”
If true, it would mean that reports the club are seeking to tie up potential targets quickly are on the money. The club would surely have the wheels in motion in terms of pursuits for some time so by the time the World Cup kicks off the hope is that the club have their squad all but in place.
It may also indicate that the club are not wholly pursuing a strategy of targetting 'name' players, but following a path of success that saw the likes of Vincent Komany and Nigel de Jong arrive at the club with drive and ambition as opposed to the more marquee names (that of course roll off the tongue in Beijing) - something I agree with and that Jack over at TLDORC discusses further.