Various reports from the South American media claim that Manchester City are in hot pursuit to get the signature of Palmeiras defender Yerry Mina. Pep Guardiola is a longtime admirer of the 22-year-old centre-back and has asked his club to go hot on heels of his former club Barcelona, who already have a pre-contract signed with the Brazilian.
Reports reveal Barcelona can purchase Mina for £8.1m next summer as they have a first-refusal deal in place, but City are not out of the race just yet.
Mina has recently moved to Palmeiras but reports say his agreement is modified in a manner, which gives a priority to Barcelona in signing him. When Palmeiras first approached Mina’s agent, they were informed about Barca’s interest. Barça initially intended to loan him out, as he wouldn’t have space in the team at this time.
City have had the good of start to their Premier League campaign but are in dire need of defensive recruitments as they haven’t been convincing enough at the back and the sought after Columbian starlet could be a solution.
Yerry Mina has already scored 4 goals in 10 league outings since joining Palmeiras from Santa Fe. On the international level, he has also become a regular starter for the Colombia national team and started the last two World Cup qualifiers for Los Cafeteros, scoring his first goal in the 2-2 draw with Uruguay.
At 195cm, City would have a towering centre back in Mina mixed with good technical ability. He has shown immense potential in blocking the ball and tackling till now in his young career. Although he is still young, his maturity in the backline speaks for itself. His height makes him a terrific threat in the air, which is a huge asset during the indirect free kicks.
One problem, however, would be his position. Mina has only played in the centre-back position and it is difficult to predict how he will pan out if played out of position. In Premier League, a makeshift defence is a frequent scenario and Mina might have difficulties adapting to it.
Mina is also not well-known for his discipline with the ball, which however is expected to iron out as he ages and plays under a good manager like Pep.
City’s defence could have a new look to it next season as Kompany is entering the dusk of his career. Stones and Mina could be the future of the latter is signed in the coming transfer window.
