Everton could reportedly sign Yerry Mina from Barcelona, but would they get a genuine star or overpaying on the back of a decent World Cup display?
The transfer could be considered something of a coup for the Toffees, who have fended off interest from fellow Premier League side Manchester United to land the 23-year-old.
They would also be signing one of the standout stars from the 2018 World Cup, where Mina scored three goals to help Colombia to the last-16 of the competition in Russia.
Yet is that actually making this deal much more of a financial risk? Acquiring players on the back of good performances at an international tournament is a gamble, as it does not present enough data to make a proper assessment with even the winners only playing a maximum of seven matches.
What should also perhaps be concerning is how keen Barca are to get rid of Mina. The Colombian is not seen as a first team regular at the Camp Nou after joining from Brazilian side Palmeiras in January.
Mina’s display at the World Cup has not changed manager Ernesto Valverde’s mind in that respect and having failed to prove himself in European football thus far, there is a real possibility that Everton could be making an expensive mistake.
Time will tell, of course, but how often have players signed on the back of a good World Cup or Euros actually shown to be far from the same level over the length of a domestic campaign?
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