Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Torino defender Gleison Bremer.
The Red Devils bolstered their defensive unit with the £41m signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid in the summer. The Frenchman, 28, has had a solid start to life at Old Trafford but the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-managed side’s defensive record hasn’t improved while the fringe options seem unlikely to ever make the step up to be reliable options for the first-team.
Perhaps, that’s why the Red Devils are looking for further reinforcements at the back next year. According to Italian news outlet Fantacalcio, Manchester United are interested in signing Gleison Bremer, who will not renew his contract with Torino, which expires in the summer of 2023.
Gleison Bremer, 24, joined Torino from Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro in July 2018 and has gradually become a mainstay at the heart of their backline. The centre-back managed to make 83 appearances for I Granata, scoring 11 goals and assisting four on top of that to date.
The Brazilian’s progress at Torino in the last couple of years has seemingly caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs, with the report adding the centre-back could cost somewhere between €20m and €25m.
Gleison Bremer to Manchester United—A good option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?
Raphael Varane has partnered Harry Maguire at the heart of Manchester United’s defence this season in the Premier League. Despite having a settled back four that also includes Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, their problems in defence seem far from over, with Solskjaer and co. managing only one point from home games against Aston Villa and Everton.
At the moment, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly are the primary backups to Man United’s first-choice central defensive pairing. Lindelof has blown hot and cold under the management of Solskjaer while Bailly has endured injury problems in recent times.
And Harry Maguire suffering an injury setback ahead of the Everton fixture has highlighted the frail nature of the backups at Ole’s disposal.
Phil Jones continues to build on his fitness after returning from a serious knee injury last month that has kept him out of action since January 2020. Considering the fact that both Bailly and Jones are injury prone and erratic, the Red Devils moving to sign a defender in the January transfer itself won’t be the worst idea in any case.
Manchester United entering the race for highly-rated Gleison Bremer makes sense. Bremer is a strong, hard-working and aggressive defender who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. The Brazilian’s biggest trait is his recovery pace as he is explosive over ten yards and doesn’t get beaten easily in a foot race.
The 24-year-old has good positional awareness and possesses the knack of nullifying attacks with his strength, speed and interception skills. At 24, Bremer is perhaps at the right moment to take the next big step in his career, which should make a move to Manchester United appealing to him.
As the Brazilian centre-back’s contract expires in 2023, Torino would have to sell next year to get a fee. That being said, Manchester United must do everything possible to bag the talented defender’s signature in January itself before more clubs start circling.
