Manchester United set sights on signing £30m-rated defender

Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention towards signing Yerry Mina from Barcelona this month. United boss Jose Mourinho has shown a keen desire to sign a new centre-back this summer but so far, the club have found no success in bolstering the department.
Earlier this month, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire had been earmarked as the prime target to reinforce the heart of the backline but a deal now appears highly unlikely with the Foxes said to have no ambition of offloading their prized asset. Moreover, the Foxes are now planning to reward the Englishman with a new long-term contract (Mirror Sport) after his impressive showing for club and country over the past year.
Amidst this, Sky Sports News reports that United have cooled their interest in Maguire and their focus is now on pursuing Mina from Barcelona before next week’s transfer deadline. Mina only joined the Blaugrana from Palmeiras in January for €11.8m (Barcelona Official) but the Catalan giants are nevertheless prepared to sanction his sale amid the non-EU player regulations in the Spanish La Liga.
Based on the rules, only three non-EU players are permitted to be registered during the course of the campaign and Mina has supposedly been deemed surplus to requirements with Philippe Coutinho and summer signings Arthur and Malcom expected to take up the vacancies covered by the quota.
Mina could not make much of an impression with Barcelona last term as he managed just four league starts (Sky Sports) but the Spanish champions have still placed a £30m price tag on his head after he stood out for Colombia during their recent expedition at the summer World Cup.
The 23-year-old was a surprise exclusion for the opening game defeat at the hands of Japan but he thereafter featured for Colombia until their elimination in the round of 16 to England. Mina managed one headed goal in each of his three World Cup appearances, thereby showcasing his goalscoring ability from set-pieces.