Barcelona have Yerry Mina tied down for summer 2018 -- not before
The Colombian defender won't come to Camp Nou before the World Cup
Barça have an option to sign the centre-back for nine million euros
Barcelona will not sign Yerry Mina this summer. Nor in the winter transfer window. The Palmeiras defender, who Barça have an option to sign for nine million euros, will only join the club, if the technical team feel it's right, in the summer of 2018, after the World Cup.
Any movements at Barça this summer will not influence Mina's future -- not the promotion of Marlon Santos to the first team, the probably exit of Jeremy Mathieu nor the signing of a right-back.
In February, Palmeiras president Mauricio Galiotte met with Barça to close an agreement for Mina. In the meeting, it was agreed that the Catalan club would not push through their option to sign him until after the World Cup. In exchange, the Brazilian club agreed that Barça could talk to Mina regarding personal terms -- as Santos had done with Neymar in 2011.
Barça have no intention of breaking that pact with Palmeiras, who are about to start their Copa Libertadores campaign, which is their big target in 2017.
Sporting director Robert Fernandez's presence in Getafe to watch Colombia's 4-0 win over Cameroon (Mina scored twice) was just to watch the player, but does not mean any accelration in terms of an immediate deal being done.
Yerry WON'T COME IN JANUARY
Coming in January is a scenario which Barça aren't considering because the player isn't, either. It's a risk to make the move such a short time before a World Cup which he hopes to be a big part of.
The Colombian centre-back, who will turn 23 in September, is still growing as a player. He joined Palmeiras having won the Copa Sudamericana in 2015 with Independiente Santa Fe and in in Brazil has won the Brasileirao, a title Palmeiras hadn't won since 1994 -- and he was named the best centre-back in the league.
Meanwhile, he's become a key part of Jose Pekerman's Colombia side.
