Wilmar Barrios of Colombian World Cup fame is reportedly a target for Premier League outfit Everton.
Everton’s latest January target has already left his mark on Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
According to AS Argentina, the Toffees are interested in signing the highly-rated Boca Juniors midfielder Wilmar Barrios and are willing to meet the £18 million release clause in his contract with the Copa Libertadores runners-up.
And the 25-year-old is already far from popular on the other side of Stanley Park. For Liverpool skipper Henderson has already had a run-in with a man who could be set to join him in Merseyside in the near future.
Barrios was at the centre of one of the World Cup’s most controversial flash points, after all. It was he who left Henderson seemingly gasping for breath on his haunches after an unseemly headbutt during England’s combustible round-of-16 clash against Colombia over in Russia.
Barrios, however, was only shown a yellow card – a decision which left fans and pundits, including Gary Neville, incensed.
“This is a joke. It is a stonewall red card,” Gary Neville said on ITV (3 July, 8pm) while former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg accused Barrios of a ‘pre-meditated attack’.
Clearly, Barrios is not a player who is going to shy away in future Merseyside derbies should he seal his switch to Everton. The prospect of he and Henderson going head to head in the centre of the park should get fans drooling at the mouth.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
