Manchester United ready to pay £52 million to sign Raphael Varane replacement: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly prepared to dish out £52 million to sign Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, who has been earmarked as a replacement for Raphael Varane.

So far this campaign, Erik ten Hag's side have struggled to keep their opponents at bay. They have shipped a staggering 62 goals in 40 games across all competitions with a host of their defenders underperforming.

As a result, Manchester United are reportedly on the hunt for a new centre-back to replace Varane, who is likely to leave this summer. They could also lose both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in the near future.

Now, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the Red Devils have identified Bremer as a top summer target. They are willing to pay the Brazilian centre-back's entire release clause without any negotiations.

Juventus, who signed Bremer for around £38 million from Torino in 2022, could opt to let go of their defender as they are believed to be in need of cash. They already have promising teenager Dean Huijsen, who is out on loan at AS Roma, to replace Bremer next season.

Bremer, who has an exit clause of around £52 million, has helped his club register 33 clean sheets in 72 games across competitions so far.

Chris Sutton offers prediction for upcoming Brentford-Manchester United league clash

In his column for BBC, former Chelsea star Chris Sutton predicted a 2-2 stalemate between Brentford and Manchester United in their league encounter this Saturday (March 30). He wrote:

"Brentford thumped Manchester United 4-0 in this fixture last season but the Bees are in terrible form at the moment with just one point from their past six games. United beat them at Old Trafford in October but only after two Scott McTominay goals in stoppage time, and they are not exactly flying either. United will score but I can still see this being another tricky evening for Erik ten Hag's side."

The Red Devils, who beat Brentford 2-1 at home last October, are currently sixth in the Premier League table with 47 points from 28 games. They have been on a fine run of form since the turn of the year, registering nine wins and two defeats in their last 12 overall matches.

Brentford, on the other hand, are struggling in 15th place in the standings with just 26 points from 29 Premier League outings. They have lost a whopping 13 matches in their last 17 games across all competitions.