Manchester United close in on €40 million World Cup star

Manchester United are stepping up their hunt for a new centre-back as Barcelona’s Yerry Mina looks set to leave Spain this summer.

Mina has endured a frustrating spell at the Camp Nou since his move from Palmeiras in Brazil back in January, making just 6 appearances for the club. He has struggled to break into a defensive line consisting of experienced players such as Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen, despite his obvious talents.

The 23-year-old is an aggressive, strong and commanding presence at the back and at the towering height of 6-foot-4 is more than capable of tussling with the best strikers in World Football. He proved as much at The World Cup in Russia, leading by example as Columbia made it through to the last-16 before losing out to England on penalties.

Against England in particular, Mina shone and participated in a fascinating battle with Harry Kane, largely keeping the striker in check and frequently breaking up dangerous attacks. He also scored a fantastic last-minute header to take the game into extra-time, his 3rd goal of the tournament which additionally highlighted the attacking threat he carries.

His displays on the international stage this summer did not go unnoticed and in turn, he has been the subject of speculation for weeks now – heavily linked to several clubs including Everton, Wolves and Lyon, as per The Sun.

The latest high-profile club reportedly interested in the Columbian’s services are Premier League giants Manchester United, who according to Metro Sport, have opened talks with the player during the last week.

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Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his intentions to sign another Centre-back during this transfer window and several top European defenders have been rumoured as targets, including Raphael Varane, Toby Alderweireld and Jerome Boateng – as reported by The Daily Star.

United currently has Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on their books as senior level central defenders but all four of them have had issues at the club which have stifled their progress.

Jones and Smalling are often dogged by inconsistency, so far failing to earn Mourinho’s complete trust and thusly often rotated. Lindelof has been far from convincing since moving to Old Trafford back in 2017 and Eric Bailly has been held back by niggling injury problems since his arrival in 2016.

Yerry Mina could slot effortlessly into the current back four at United and whats more he could also marshall the defence as a leader at the back, which has been sorely lacking at the club in recent years.

Metro Sport also states that the young starlet has expressed his desire to leave Barcelona, citing the second half of last season as a disappointing time for him personally and professionally.

“There were moments when I thought everything was going to turn out as I had imagined, but it wasn’t like that,” Mina said to reporters, post World Cup.

“I felt moments everything came crashing down upon me, I felt that nothing was going right, I couldn’t even pass the ball right, or train, I just felt like nothing went right.

“I want to play for a team where there is less pressure and where I can have minutes.”

It certainly seems like Manchester United and Yerry Mina could be a match made in heaven at exactly the right time for both player and club, as the new European football season draws ever closer.

United’s 2018/19 Premier League campaign kicks off in less than two weeks, in an opening day clash against Leicester City. Jose Mourinho will be hoping to have at least one more player at his disposal by the time kick-off rolls around and at the moment it appears as though Mina is high on his list.

Metro Sport claims that Harry Maguire is the club’s current number one target, but an offer for the Barca defender of around €40 million could be tabled should they fail to land the England star.

Finishing second to Manchester City by such a huge margin last year represented a huge sting to supporters and indeed Jose Mourinho, whose reputation as a serial winner is on the line in the upcoming season.

Mina would be the Portuguese tactician’s 4th signing of the summer following the arrivals of Diogo Dalot Fred and Lee Grant and possibly the most important addition yet. United need a new commander and the Columbian has all the attributes to provide exactly what the team is crying out for.