Manchester City have stolen a march on Premier League rivals Arsenal in the pursuit for Palmeiras’ highly-rated center back Vitor Reis as they edge closer to getting a deal over the line. As per reports, the Cityzens are close to finalizing a £33 million fee for the 19-year-old this month itself, with things like medicals and other formalities being chalked out.
This will come as a huge blow for the Gunners, who have been keeping tabs on the player for a while now. Despite having 4-5 center-backs in their current squad, Arsenal have maintained interest in the player, which is a testament to the potential the club sees in Reis.
However, with Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Benjamin White in the squad, and all relatively young, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s hierarchy should not be too perturbed after missing out. Manchester City, on the other hand, have an ageing backline and need to transition their team, which could be a major reason why they have moved quick to get ahead.
As seen in the past, though, the defending Premier League champions could purchase the player and loan him straight back for a year or two, to gain more experience at the top level, before being thrust into the demands of playing for Manchester City.
Manchester City closing in on two more deals this month
Apart from their pursuit of Vitor Reis, Manchester City have been in the market for two more players this month as they look to snap out of their slump at the end of 2024.
The club has already put deals in place to bring defender Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens and reportedly also for attacker Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt as they look to improve their form for the second half of the season.
The club sits in sixth place in the Premier League with 34 points from 20 games so far, 12 behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more than the Reds. They will need to go on an extraordinary winning run to close the gap and Pep Guardiola believes new signings will make the job easier.
