Chelsea have joined Manchester United in the race to sign talented Juventus centre-back Gleison Bremer, according to a report by Manchester Evening News.
In recent days, United have been linked with a number of central defenders considering the desperate need to reinforce in that position ahead of next season. Bremer has been touted as a prime target, along with the likes of Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Barcelona’s Jules Kounde.
However, it looks like Man Utd face a battle to sign Bremer as MEN are reporting that Chelsea have joined the race to sign the Brazilian defender ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report says Bremer has a £43m [€50m] release clause in his contract so the Premier League giants could sign him at a reasonable price if the South American is open to moving to England.
We rarely see a player who has a release clause negotiated into his contract that is much lower than his actual market value – which is over £50m according to Transfermarkt. This suggests that signing him for around £43m would represent an excellent deal if Man Utd or Chelsea could pull it off.
Solid defensive reinforcement
Whether Bremer goes to Man Utd or Chelsea or any other club for that matter, he would be a solid defensive reinforcement. Having made a name for himself at Torino, the 26-year-old has taken his game to the next level at Juventus. Whilst he might not be exceptional at playing out from the back as some other names on United’s list, he is still very adequate at it.
The Red Devils have struggled with the fitness of their centre-backs throughout this season. Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire have missed important parts of the season. Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof have struggled with form more than fitness. It’s worth remembering that Varane’s future at the club is uncertain too.
Chelsea on the other hand have so many centre-backs on their roster. Thiago Silva has been ever-present, along with Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill. Benoit Badiashile has been quite impressive after recovering from his injury. Wesley Fofana is yet to recover from a long-term injury and has hardly played any football in almost two years. Trevoh Chalobah has just started featuring after a long-term injury of his own.
One thing that the Blues must remember though is that unless they offload a few names on this list, it doesn’t make sense for them to sign another centre-back. Looking at the number of names at the Bridge, even Bremer might prefer to move to Man Utd. Regardless, the Juventus defender’s future promises to be an interesting transfer saga in the summer and let’s wait and see how it pans out.
