Manchester United have reportedly pulled the plug on the £35 million move to sign Yerry Mina from Barcelona this summer
According to a report by The Sun, Yerry Mina will not be pulling on the Manchester United jersey in the 2018-19 season. The Premier League heavyweights are set to withdraw their interest in the £35 million-rated Barcelona star, with Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire the priority targets for the Red Devils.
Yerry Mina has found it hard to continue his progress since joining Barcelona from Palmeiras earlier this year in January. With a mere six appearances under his belt in half-a-season, it had become clear that the Colombian international needed to put in a lot of work to become a regular at Camp Nou.
But, his prospects of growing in stature at Barcelona have definitely taken a hit after the Catalans signed Clement Lenglet this summer. With Arturo Vidal arriving at Camp Nou, it is all but certain that Yerry Mina will be the player to vacate a non-EU spot. All that remains up in the air is his next destination, with the likes of Manchester United, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers interested.
At Manchester United, the pursuit of a centre-back this summer has been well documented after an underwhelming performance by the defensive unit in the second half of the 2017-18 season. Mina has been one of the defenders who has been on the Red Devils’ radar, with fellow South American Marcos Rojo likely to make way for him.
It had also been widely reported that Manchester United were on the verge of landing the Barcelona star after they agreed personal terms with him. But, the latest revelations suggest that the move has collapsed after the Premier League heavyweights ran out of patience due to the antics by Mina’s agent.
While Manchester United’s chief Matt Judge had reached an agreement over a five-year deal, the player’s agent Felipe Russo angered the club by demanding more than the agreed terms. Angered by the change in stance, the Red Devils have now pulled the plug on their pursuit of the Barcelona defender.
With the stipulated £35 million deal for Mina now dead and buried, Manchester United must now put all their efforts to sign either Toby Alderweireld or Harry Maguire. Reports have been positive about the progress made in pursuit of both defenders, but the club can not afford to slack off any more.
As far as Yerry Mina is concerned, his Barcelona future is already seemingly non existent. And, it is unclear where he will end up next season, with the player reportedly rebuffing interest from Everton and Wolves as well. It also remains to be seen if Manchester United are able to succeed in their pursuit of a new centre-back this summer after ceding interest in the Colombian.
