Everton 'confident of completing deal for defender Yerry Mina'

Everton are reportedly confident of getting a deal over the line for defender Yerry Mina, despite Barcelona's tough negotiating tactics.

The Toffees have been hoping to tie up a permanent transfer for the past few weeks, only for interest from Manchester United and Lyon to complicate matters.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton were close to walking away from talks last week due to Barca's hefty valuation of a player who started just four games after joining the club in January.

Marco Silva has been desperate to bolster his side's defensive ranks, however, and the Portuguese is still on track to land his man before this evening's 5pm cut-off point, with discussions thought to be at an advanced stage.

The same report indicates that, if the deal does go too close to the wire, Manchester United's Marcos Rojo and Kurt Zouma of Chelsea have already been lined up as alternatives.