Manchester United, Chelsea 'to battle for Gleison Bremer'

Manchester United and Chelsea are set to battle for the signature of Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, according to a report.

After spending four years at Torino, Bremer moved to Turin rivals Juve last summer in a deal worth €41m (£35.1m), and he has since established himself as a first-team regular under Massimiliano Allegri.

The 26-year-old started 43 matches at centre-back across all competitions in the 2022-23 campaign, including 30 Serie A starts and a further 10 starts across the Champions League and Europa League.

However, Bremer's debut campaign at Juve was tarnished by the club's 10-point deduction in Serie A following an investigating into the club's transfer dealings, and they eventually finished seventh in the top-flight table.

With Juve failing to qualify for next season's Champions League and struggling financially, a number of first-team players have been linked with a permanent exit this summer.

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According to Calciomercato, no Juventus player is 'non-transferable' including Bremer, who after just 12 months with the Old Lady is attracting interest from both Man United and Chelsea.

The report adds that Juve will 'think carefully' if they receive an offer of at least €60m (£51m) for Bremer, the same valuation allegedly placed on star winger Federico Chiesa who is wanted by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United.

Man United are understood to have identified Bremer as an alternative to Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae, who appears to be edging closer to joining German giants Bayern Munich.

Erik ten Hag is on the lookout for at least one ball-playing central defender, with the futures of captain Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly all believed to be uncertain.

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Bremer is one of a number of names said to be on the Dutchman's radar along with Monaco's Axel Disasi and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.

However, Man United will face stern competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea, who are looking to reshape their squad further following the appointment of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The West Londoners, who will be without European football next season, signed centre-back trio Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Kalidou Koulibaly during 2022-23, but the latter is allegedly close to finalising a swift exit from Stamford Bridge to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

Meanwhile, the future of academy graduate Levi Colwill remains uncertain, with Brighton & Hove Albion keen to recruit the 20-year-old on a permanent deal following a successful season-long loan spell.