West Ham United reportedly beat Premier League rivals Everton to the signing of Issa Diop but the Toffees are close to landing Barcelona ace Yerry Mina.
Everton and West Ham United were among the leakiest sides in the Premier League last season so both went into the summer window needing a commanding, youthful centre-back.
The Toffees fans were left very frustrated when West Ham completed the club-record £25 million signing of Issa Diop from Toulouse. Captain of the Ligue 1 club despite being just 21, the France youth ace is one of the most promising young centre-backs in European football.
But latest reports suggest that Everton are closing in on a deal which would see them outshine their claret-and-blue clad rivals after all.
West Ham have been linked with the former Palmeiras favourite for months and, according to Goal, have expressed an interest of late. And, on paper, Everton will be getting the better deal, and potentially the better centre-back too, although not just because Mina will cost £4 million less than Diop.
While the latter has been one of the most promising talents in Ligue 1 over recent seasons, Mina is almost unrivalled in the world of young centre-halves. His form over in South America was so impressive that Barcelona spent the best part of two years trying to bring him to the Camp Nou.
And, while Diop has only represented France at youth level, Mina is a fully fledged Colombian international and one of the stars of the Russia World Cup. He even scored in three successive games against Poland, Senegal and England.
It may be a little early to judge but, right now, it seems Everton have got the better deal.
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