Yerry Mina
Barcelona are hoping to finalise a deal for Yerry Mina in January Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Yerry Mina can join Barcelona once Mascherano joins Hebei Fortune.
  • The Catalan club already have an agreement in place with Palmeiras for the defender.

Barcelona are keen to bring in Yerry Mina from Palmeiras during the January transfer window although they have a deal with the Brazilian club for next summer.

The Catalan club have already agreed a deal for Mina with Palmeiras with the Brazilian club expected to receive a payment of €9m (£7.9m) at the end of the season when the defender is expected to move to the Camp Nou.

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However, Javier Mascherano's decision to leave Barcelona during the January transfer window has seen the La Liga outfit try to expedite the deal for the Colombia international. The Argentine defender has fallen out of favour under Ernesto Valverde and is keen to move on in order to find the regular game time.

The former Athletic Bilbao manager has preferred Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti as his preferred pairing in central defence, which has left Mascherano on the bench for most of the games. The 33-year-old, who has been a loyal servant to the Spanish club having joined in 2010, is ready to find a new challenge and Chinese Super League side Hebei Fortune are said to be the front-runners to land his signature.

According to Spanish publication Sport, Mina's move to Barcelona in January hinges on Fortune completing their move for Mascherano. The Chinese club are said to have bid €7m but the Catalan giants are holding on for €10m.

The two clubs are set to hold talks in the coming days to finalise an agreement for the Argentina international's transfer only after which will Mina leave Palmeiras for Barcelona. The 23-year-old defender is currently on holiday following the conclusion of the Brazilian football season and is expected for pre-season with his current employers on 5 January.

Barcelona, however, could face another stumbling block to bring Mina to the Camp Nou in January with a separate report from the Sport claiming that Palmeiras have now increased their asking price if they are to allow the defender to leave next month.

The current agreement is for the summer, but since Valverde is keen to bring in a replacement for Mascherano, the La Liga leaders are keen to finalise the move in the upcoming transfer window. Barcelona are said to have offered €2m over their initial €9m agreement to sign the defender earlier than scheduled, but Palmeiras want Barcelona to uphold their initial agreement, but the report claims that they are willing to up their offer to €14m in order to complete the deal immediately.

Barcelona FC