Everton Increase Offer for Barcelona Starlet Yerry Mina
By Tom Power
Toffees up offer for talented centre-back as discussions with Barcelona continue
Everton have tabled an improved £27m bid to convince Barcelona to part ways with Yerry Mina.
The Toffees want the Colombia international to become the second signing of the Marco Silva era at Goodison Park as they look to bolster their defensive ranks.
Goal has claimed that Everton have increased their original offer of £21m by £6m and, all being well, it would seem that Barcelona are open to selling for that price.
Everton have made no secret of their desire to land the centre-back this summer as Silva looks to add quality and youth to his senior squad.
Mina impressed at the World Cup in Russia alongside Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez, and weighed in with three goals as his national side crashed out to England at the last-16 stage.
Barcelona only signed him in the January transfer window but, due to La Liga rules, cannot guarantee Mina the game time that he needs to develop.
Spanish top flight regulations state that only three non-EU players can make up a club’s 25-man squad.
Philippe Coutinho and new arrivals Arthur Melo and Malcom are set to take up those spots and leave Mina out in the cold as an unregistered player.
The Blues, then, hope to capitalise on the Catalan giants’ dilemma and lure him to the Premier League instead.
Director of football Marcel Brands jetted into north-east Spain this week to continue negotiations with Barcelona over deals for Mina and left-back Lucas Digne.
If reports are to be believed, those talks must have gone well if Barcelona are ready to accept Everton’s improved offer for Mina.
Mina only played six times for Barcelona after his move from Palmeiras and hinted that his future could lie away from Camp Nou if he isn’t handed more minutes on the pitch.
He would certainly get starts with Everton, particularly after the manner in which the Merseysiders performed defensively in Thursday’s 3-0 friendly defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
Phil Jagielka, Ashley Williams, Michael Keane and Matthew Pennington failed to give good accounts of themselves and the only centre-half who walked away with any pride was Mason Holgate, who didn’t feature due to a slight injury.
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Mina could easily play his way into Silva’s team based on those displays, and his physicality would be a welcome addition to a squad that lacks a truly powerful player.