Barcelona January signing Yerry Mina could be a vital factor for the Catalan club in signing Sevilla defender Clément Lenglet after the end of the 2017/18 season.
The 23-year-old Colombian international arrived at Camp Nou from Brazilian club Palmeiras earlier this year. Mina has three appearances to his name, out of which, two have come in La Liga in the second half of the ongoing campaign.
According to the Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona are looking for options in the transfer market if their current central defender Samuel Umtiti decides to leave the club. The French international has formed a partnership with Gerard Pique this term and has been a key player in the Spanish champions’ back four.
Umtiti’s future at Barcelona is still not resolved as his employers look to tie him down to a new deal. The 24-year-old is attracting interest from Manchester United as Jose Mourinho has identified him as one of the summer transfer targets.
Should the former Lyon star decide against committing his future to Blaugrana, then Barcelona will make an approach in signing Lenglet. The France Under-21 international is identified as one of the targets in the central defending position for Ernesto Valverde’s side.
The former Athletic Bilbao manager is not convinced with Mina and is open to the idea of sanctioning his transfer. Should Sevilla lose Lenglet in the summer transfer window, they would be willing to take the South American defender in order to replace their current player in the squad for the next season.
Another report from Sport claims Barcelona officials have already held talks with the Sevilla defender’s representative. They believe Lenglet has all the attributes to succeed with the La Liga winners.
