Yerry Mina has no plans of leaving Barcelona this summer

Colombian defender Yerry Mina has stressed that he does not have plans of leaving Barcelona despite the criticism levied at him during the second half of the season. The centre-back was recruited by the Blaugrana during the winter transfer window after Javier Mascherano left for China and he has since struggled for consistency at the heart of the defence.

Despite this, the 23-year-old is unfazed by the situation and he is looking forward to making better progress next term, he told Mundo Deportivo: “I arrived in the middle of the season, in a difficult moment, I talked to some of my teammates, but now I have to show why I am here and do it well since the start of the next preseason. Compete with Piqué and Umtiti? I know that the beginnings are not easy, but I have all the desire in the world to succeed here. Going out of Barca is not something that goes through my head, nor will it happen.”
Over the past few weeks, Mina has been linked with both loan moves and permanent deals away from Barcelona and this has largely been associated with Arthur’s arrival which would increase the number of non-EU players at the Camp Nou. Nevertheless, the centre-back is determined to stay put and the next season may make or break his career with the Spanish champions.
Prior to this, Mina will be embarking on a World Cup challenge with Colombia who will be aiming to replicate the success from the previous tournament. The South American nation went all the way to the quarter-final stage of the last World Cup in Brazil and a repeat would be considered a brilliant feat considering the stiff challenge starting from their group stage. Colombia have been pitted against Japan, Poland and Senegal in their World Cup.