Everton Face Battle to Sign Colombia Sensation Yerry Mina as Turkish Giants Make £27m Bid

Everton have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Barcelona defender Yerry Mina, after Turkish side Fenerbahçe blew the Toffees' £21m offer out the water with their own bid of around £27m.

According to Express, Mina - who only joined Barcelona last summer - is the subject of high interest from a number of sides across Europe, following his impressive World Cup campaign with Colombia. Given the wealth of talent that Barça have in defence, they could well look to cash in on the 23-year-old, with Everton among the frontrunners to seal the deal.

Mina has made a real name for himself during the World Cup, scoring three important goals in Colombia's campaign before they crashed out on penalties against Gareth Southgate's England side. The former Palmeiras prodigy will be eager not to be stuck on the bench with Barça next season, and is likely to move to a new side if the Catalan giants can't offer regular football.

Everton were believed to be the hot favourites to sign Mina, but Fenerbahçe offering to top their initial offer by £6m could prove problematic. It is unclear how far each side is willing to go in a bidding war, but neither are likely to stretch their resources too far - with the threat of Financial Fair Play regulations a constant issue to contend with for all big spending football clubs.

Standing at 6ft 5', Mina is a force to be contended with on the field, and could offer the Toffees a real threat in the air at set-pieces. His towering header against England, in the dying seconds of stoppage time, showed his ability to produce a moment of magic under high levels of pressure, and his robust approach to defending could prove effective in the Premier League.

Power Sport Images/GettyImages

Meanwhile, former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has claimed that Toffees stopper Jordan Pickford could prove to be England's weak link in their quest to win the World Cup. The veteran manager contended that Pickford's lack of international experience and physical dominance in the goal make it harder for England to be world champions this summer.