Palmeiras agrees to extend Barcelona's option on Yerry Mina until 2018
Yerry Mina is destined for Europe, but when exactly he leaves Palmeiras is still unclear.
On Monday, Palmeiras agreed to extend Barcelona's priority-purchase option on Mina until after the 2018 World Cup. The previous agreement stipulated the Blaugrana could only exercise priority on the Colombian centre-back until July 2017.
Palmerias president Mauricio Galiotte and executive director Alexandre Mattos travelled to Barcelona, Spain for the deal. The Verdao and Blaugrana also took the first steps toward creating an agreement in which the two clubs will form an alliance entailing working methods and the exchange of coaches among other topics.
(Courtesy: SE Palmeiras)
Mina's agent, Jair Mina, declared five days ago that his client put pen to paper on a pre-agreement with Barcelona but said a move to the Blaugrana wasn't a sure thing, claiming: "Everything depends on the decision of the player." The representative also confessed "the agreed price is €9 million, while for other clubs the transfer would be somewhat higher."
On the same day, Mundo Deportivo's Roger Torello reported Mina will sign for Barcelona in January 2018, and will remain at Palmeiras through 2017 to help the Verdao in the Copa Libertadores.
Related: Yerry Mina's agent says defender signed pre-agreement with Barcelona
It was at Independiente Santa Fe where Mina made a name for himself, as Los Cardenales conquered the Copa Sudamericana with the giant defender in their squad. His dominance in the air, pace, and ability to lead the charge from the back caught Palmeiras' attention, and he became a first-choice centre-back for Colombia, scoring his first international goal in Los Cafeteros' 2-2 draw versus Uruguay in 2018 World Cup qualifying.