According to Tuttomercatoweb, Southampton have joined the race for in-demand Barcelona centre-back Yerry Mina.

What’s the story?

Mina joined Barcelona from Palmeiras in January, and made six appearances for the Spanish giants in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.

The central defender faces an uncertain future at Camp Nou, however, with Clement Lenglet’s arrival pushing him further down the pecking order.

A whole host of clubs have been credited with an interest in Mina – including Everton, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Lyon and even Manchester United.

The 23-year-old is not exactly short of interest this summer, and according to Tuttomercatoweb, he has another option in the shape of Southampton.

The report claims that the Saints have made an offer worth up to £17.7m for the defender, and want him to be their number one centre-back next season.

Should Southampton sign him?

There is no question that Mina found it tough at Barcelona in the second half of last season, but it was never going to be easy for the South American to slot straight into European football.

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However, Mina – valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – showed at the 2018 World Cup that he has incredible potential, and ended the competition having scored three times in four appearances for Colombia.

The Barcelona defender put in a towering performance against England in the round of 16, and at 6ft 4in, would be an absolute powerhouse in the Premier League.

Southampton received £75m when they sold Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool back in January, and Mina is the replacement that the club’s supporters have been waiting for.

It is not going to be easy to win the race for a player who has an incredible amount of options ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, but Southampton would be pulling off one of the signings of the summer if they convinced Mina to move to St Mary’s.