A defender that has definitely caught the eye in this World Cup has been Colombian centre back Yerry Mina. The 23-year-old scored three times in three appearances in the competition before his team was knocked out against England on penalties on Tuesday.
The lanky defender only joined Barcelona in January, but the La Liga champions may be tempted to cash in on the player in order to make room for incoming non-EU transfer of Gremio midfielder Arthur Melo.
Mina was asked about the possibility of leaving Barcelona following his team's exit from the World Cup, but maintained that for the moment he sees a future at his current club:
In my head right now, I am thinking about returning to Barca.
Now's not the moment to talk about my future, but the World Cup has helped me rediscover myself and reaffirm myself as a footballer.
God gave me my talent. What I need is to always play to the best of my ability and enjoy my football. After that, I'm always calm and I trust God.
Barcelona paid €11.8m for Mina back in January, putting a buyout clause in his five-year contract of €100m. But with the Catalans closing in on the £35 signing of Sevilla centre back Clement Lenglet, Mina could be pushed further down the pecking order at the Nou Camp.
Everton are one of the clubs linked with a move for Mina, along with Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Turkish side Fenerbache. Goal.com have reported that the Toffees have offered €24 million for the Colombian, while Turkish outlet Fotomac report that Liverpool have registered their interest in the defender, who only joined Barcelona at the start of the year from Brazilian side Palmeiras.
Both sides could do with strengthening at centre back, especially at Everton where the ageing Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka have struggled last season.
Liverpool's need may not be as strong, but with Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip struggling to assert themselves as partners to Virgil Van Djik, Jurgen Klopp may be tempted to sign Mina as he looks to build a title challenging defence.
