Sports Evolve
According to the Liverpool ECHO, Everton is eager to let Yerry Mina’s contract expire in June due to the defender’s “high wages” and persistent injuries.
Mina, a Colombian international, has not played under new manager Sean Dyche since his appointment due to ongoing injury issues and has only started in three Premier League matches this season.
Mina’s current salary at Goodison Park is a substantial £120,000-per-week, and with just over three months remaining on his contract, it is highly likely that the club will allow him to depart as a free agent.
Despite being a fan favourite, Mina’s large wage package and recurring injuries have frustrated the club, and they may have no choice but to allow his contract to wind down.
“With Dyche having broken up the Coady and James Tarkowski partnership but choosing Michael Keane as the successor, the chances of Mina being offered a new deal are diminishing with every game he is not involved in.
“Mina is a fan favourite and has been relatively successful when fit. However, high wages and persistent injury worries may mean the Blues allow his contract to run out this summer.”
The situation regarding Yerry Mina’s expiring contract is possibly the most disheartening and pressing among the experienced players set to depart Goodison Park, as his frequent unavailability and lack of durability have been extremely exasperating for the club.
Despite making significant contributions when he is in the starting lineup, the Colombian defender has not lived up to expectations since his highly anticipated move from Barcelona.
The club announced in December that they would not make any efforts to extend his contract, a decision that has been reiterated in the aforementioned report.
It appears that it would be in the best interest of both parties to part ways this summer, particularly since Everton is likely to undergo a major overhaul to reinvigorate their struggling and lacking squad.
Overall, Mina’s stint at Goodison Park has been a mix of enjoyable and frustrating moments.
Italian reports claim Dyche is close to first Everton signing with £17.6m transfer agreement
Everton manager Sean Dyche is reportedly closing on his first signing for the club with a deal for a Udinese defender seemingly close for the Toffees.
Dyche was left frustrated after failing to add to his squad during the January transfer window. Having seen Anthony Gordon depart in the days prior to his arrival, Dyche was right to expect reinforcements to arrive. Sadly for him, and Everton, they missed out on a number of deals during the month, with perhaps the miss of Arnaut Danjuma the most notable.
Another player who Everton and Dyche tracked was Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao. Having locked on to him during Frank Lampard’s time in charge, Dyche was quickly made aware of Everton’s prospects of signing the Brazilian.
And liking what he saw, Dyche reportedly instructed Everton to try and push through his signing.
However, much to his annoyance, Udinese resisted all Everton offered for him.
That said, their interest has seemingly not gone away and now reports in Italy claim a deal for Becao is gathering pace.
Indeed, the centre-half’s deal expires in summer 2024 and talks over an extension have seemingly hit a dead end.
As a result, the Serie A side’s sporting director Pierpaolo Marino admitted last month that his side may not be able to retain his services beyond this season.
The 25-year-old has been one of Udinese’s standout performers this term, making 22 starts in Serie A. The Brazilian has been a rock at the heart of their defence and has helped them to seventh in the table.
With just over a year left on his contract, and a release clause of €15m, Everton may be tempted to test the waters with a bid. And if reports in Italy are to be believed, they may not have to go too high to land their man.
“We want to return to amaze as we did at the beginning of the season. We have every intention of making the most of the work done in setting up this team,” he told Rai Sport.
“It is clear that for Becao and especially Beto the club – and we thank you for this – has renounced a huge offer that arrived in the last days of January to keep him here. But it will be difficult to do so in view of next season. Even if in the end someone like [Rodrigo] De Paul stayed longer than expected due to the requests he had, he made two renewals.”
According to the report, it is becoming more widely accepted that the 27-year-old defender will leave Udinese, and Everton are the frontrunners to secure his services, although Inter Milan is also interested.
Udinese is seeking a transfer fee of around £17.6m (€20m). However, Everton’s move for Becao is contingent on two factors, the first of which is the club retaining their Premier League status.
At the moment, the Toffees are in 15th place, with only one point separating them from the relegation zone.
Nevertheless, if they manage to stay up, they are expected to make a move for Becao.
Although they may try to negotiate a lower price with Udinese, it is unlikely to prevent Dyche from signing the Brazilian defender.
Becao’s signing could be the first of many for Everton during the summer transfer window, but for now, their main priority is avoiding relegation.
