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Is Mina on his way out of Everton

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 05: Yerry Mina of Everton battles for possession with Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on April 05, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jon Super - Pool/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 05: Yerry Mina of Everton battles for possession with Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on April 05, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Jon Super - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Stories today claim that Everton have slapped a £21 million price tag on Colombian defender Yerry Mina as rumours continue that he might leave the club this summer.

These stories have sprung to life because of the renewed reports of Everton moving for the Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.

According to these reports Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to add Koulibaly to the swollen ranks of his central defenders and the Senegal player is available as Napoli try to cut their costs and offload some older players.

On the surface. signing another centre-back doesn’t seem to make an awful lot of sense given that the Toffees have Mina, Mason Holgate, Ben Godfrey and Micheal Keane as well as the on-loan Jarrad Branthwaite and Lewis Gibson on their books.

And on the evidence of Monday night what this Everton team needs is more pace, creativity and especially goals, not another defender.

The lack of attacking options on the bench against Crystal Palace was stark with only former Bournemouth forward Josh King (who Ancelotti doesn’t seem impressed with) and Gylfi Sigurdsson available together with some youth team products and Sigurdsson had to come on after half an hour to replace the injured Andre Gomes.

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But these stories won’t go away and it seems as though there might be something to them and that perhaps Ancelotti is keen to add Koulibaly’s quality and experience to his defensive ranks.

There’s no doubt the Senegal star is a very good defender although he’s not as strong in the air as Mina or Keane. Given his ability he has been linked with moves to other clubs like Liverpool recently too.

So if indeed it’s the case the Blues want him, Koulibaly is going to cost and figures around the £50 million have been quoted, which seems way too high for a 29-year-old centre-back.

And if Everton are to move for him then they will need to offload a player or two to finance the deal, hence of course the stories of Mina leaving as he seems the defender Ancelotti is most willing to sell to make way for Koulibaly.

All this is a bit harsh on the Colombian who has performed well recently. And while I don’t doubt the Napoli man would prove a strong defensive addition, I’m not sure this deal should be a transfer window priority.

The focus has got to be on improving the attacking quality and threat of this team. And with the return to fitness of Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Ancelotti now has another player who can also operate at centre-back where he has often played.

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