The Red Devils have reportedly made the Brazilian a priority summer target, and he certainly has the ability to add a new dimension to their defence
The Sir Jim Ratcliffe era is now getting into full swing at Manchester United, with the INEOS chairman currently in the process of overhauling the club's transfer policy to start closing the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. United's new minority owner has vowed to "knock them all off their perch", but has also warned that "spending lavishly is not the solution", having seen so many high-profile signings fail to live up to expectations at Old Trafford over the past decade.
United are now trying to fix problem areas in the team and only want players who fit in with their ethos for their future. Revitalising an ageing backline will be the first order of business when the summer transfer window opens, with Juventus enforcer Gleison Bremer said to be top of their wishlist.
has reported that the Red Devils have already made contact with the Brazilian's representatives, and Juventus are open to negotiating a deal despite tying him down to a new contract in December. That agreement included a €50 million (£43m/$54m) release clause, according to , which would be a bargain for a player of Bremer's quality.
United fans who have not followed his rise to prominence in Serie A closely probably won't be too excited about his potential arrival, but GOAL is on hand to fix that as we delve into the career of one of the most underrated centre-halves in the game…
Where it all began
Bremer grew up in Itapitanga, a municipality in the Bahia region of Brazil, and didn't benefit from any formal coaching in his youth. His father explained to him the basics of working life at their family farm, and showed him the footballing ropes, having played for Brazil at amateur level. He even named Bremer after Germany legend Andreas Brehme, who scored the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final.
It wasn't until he reached the age of 14 that Bremer started to seriously pursue a career in football. "In Baia, they only had two major clubs in my city and I didn’t live near the city," he said in an interview with in 2023. "I'd had to travel a lot of miles and didn’t have the opportunity to enter a club and train with a club. At 14, I moved to Sao Paulo and at 16 got to play for Desportivo Brasil. Before that, I played when and where I could.
“On the streets, I learnt how not to lose. I learnt how to be aggressive with football in the streets. I also learnt how to be a little bit sneaky. You can elude your opponents and sometimes the referee.”
Bremer sold ice-creams to help fund his travel for away games with Desportivo, and his street-smarts helped him quickly became a key member of the team, with a loan move to Brazilian giants Sao Paulo eventually earned in 2016. He went on to make his professional debut for the reserves as a 19-year-old that year and helped them win the Under-20 Copa do Brasil.
As per South American outlet , Sao Paulo could have kept Bremer for another year at the cost of just £40,000, but they waited too long to make a decision on his future, which allowed Atletico Mineiro to swoop in and secure his services.
Bremer officially joined Atletico in March 2017 and made his senior bow three months later in a Brazilian Serie A clash against Chapecoense. The talented defender was then awarded a contracted extension just four games into his first-team career, which put him on the radar of a number of big European clubs, and Atletico would ultimately be powerless to prevent him from spreading his wings.
AdvertisementGettyThe big break
Torino won the race for Bremer's signature in the summer of 2018 as they struck a £5m deal with Atletico. He signed a five-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico Grande, but had to wait for his chance to make a significant impact.
Bremer only made seven appearances across all competitions for Torino in his maiden season, and was candid about his struggles to adapt after swapping familiar surroundings in Belo Horizonte for a whole new culture in Turin.
"You want to arrive playing. But I did not understand the tactics of Italian [football] very well, which is totally different from Brazil," he said in an interview with . "It is very tactical, it works a lot of space, it's faster football."
The turning point came when head coach Walter Mazzarri handed Bremer his first start in Torino's Derby della Mole clash with Juventus. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Stadium, with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo saving a point for Juve with a late goal, and Bremer had a night to remember heart of the visitors' defence.
“The defence held out well and Bremer was exceptional," Mazzarri said after the game. "He has spent eight months working on his technique in training, this is his full debut and if not for the goal, his performance would’ve been perfect.
Soon after, Italian defender Emiliano Moretti announced his retirement, which opened up a permanent spot at the back for Bremer, and he became an indispensable asset for Torino. The 2019-20 season was a turbulent campaign for the club as they were dragged towards the relegation zone, with Mazzarri losing his job at the halfway stage, but Bremer's performances were one of the main reasons they ultimately avoided the drop.
It was a similar story the following year as Torino finished down in 17th, and Marco Giampaolo suffered the same fate as Mazzarri. His successor, Ivan Juric, sparked a major turnaround in fortunes, though, and helped Bremer reach the next level.
Getty ImagesHow it's going
Torino climbed up to 10th in the 2021-22 season and Bremer was named the best defender in Serie A, which was fully deserved. By that stage, the Toro knew their star man was destined for greater things, having taken the pre-emptive step of extending his contract through to 2024.
Juventus managed to lure Bremer away from their city rivals with a €41m (£35m/$45m) bid after targeting him to replace Matthijs de Ligt, who joined Bayern Munich at the start of the 2022 summer window. Allegri threw Bremer straight in at the deep end, naming him as Leandro Bonucci's centre-back partner for the opening game of Juve's new campaign against Sassuolo, and he rose to the occasion, barely putting a foot wrong in a 3-0 victory.
“I am honestly amazed by how well Bremer has settled in," Allegri said after the final whistle. Bremer's partnership with Bonucci blossomed from there, and he was drafted into the Brazil national team, with then-manager Tite handing him his first cap in a friendly clash with Ghana. Bremer then gained invaluable experience at the World Cup in Qatar, featuring in two games during the Selecao's run to the quarter-finals. The second half of the season wasn't quite so positive, though.
In January 2023, Juventus were deducted 15 points as punishment for financial irregularities and false accounting, which was reduced to 10 on appeal, but they could still only muster a seventh-placed finish in Serie A – and dropped out of the Champions League as a result.
Still, on a personal level, Bremer's first year with the Old Lady couldn't have gone much better. He even chipped in with five goals, including one against his former club Torino in a 4-2 home victory. “I think he’s the best defender I’ve ever coached, and I’ve worked with some good ones such as [Cristian] Romero,” Torino boss Juric said at his post-match press conference. “Bremer is spectacular. He always wants to improve and he’s worked so much on his technique. He is devastating defensively and he can still improve."
Bremer's importance to Juve has only grown since then, which is why his contract was recently renewed until 2028. The Bianconeri remain a frustratingly negative outfit under Allegri, but Bremer is the most reliable performer in the squad, and he's doing everything within his power to land his first piece of silverware with the club.
The 2023-24 Scudetto is already out of reach for Juve, but they have one foot in the Coppa Italia final after beating Lazio 2-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie as Bremer blocked their route to goal in ruthless fashion. Still only 27, Bremer may yet have his best years ahead of him, and Juve face an uphill battle to keep him on their books beyond the summer.
Getty ImagesBiggest strengths
Bremer has all the attributes of a top defender: strength, speed and aerial prowess. He also reads the game brilliantly and rarely comes out second best in one-on-one duels.
Former Torino interim boss Moreno Longo aptly summed up Bremer's style during an interview with in February after being quizzed on the speculation linking him with a switch to the Premier League. "If I were a coach of those teams, I would look for that type of defender," said Longo. "He has an overwhelming physicality, he defends in the open field without fear of having 40-50 metres behind him and he plays dominant football. I would always want that."
United may also be looking at Bremer for his qualities at the other end of the pitch, with Erik ten Hag's side having struggled to score regularly from set-pieces this season. Bremer carries a genuine goal threat from corners and free-kicks, boasting surprisingly sharp instincts in the box, and looks the ideal fit for English football – having taken inspiration from a former Chelsea hero and a Manchester City legend.
“I have a couple of role models in England playing at centre-back," Bremer added in his recent sit down with . "I watched David Luiz at Chelsea, a Premier League winner and a Champions League winner. But also Vincent Kompany in all the years he played at Manchester City.”