Manchester City moved quickly to swoop-in and sign Palmeiras’ highly-rated defender Vitor Reis ahead of Premier League rivals Arsenal this month. As per The Athletic, the Gunners had identified the player as ‘one for the future’ and saw Reis as someone with a very high ceiling, but City’s swiftness and decisiveness in the market has left the north Londoners in the dust.
As a result, Vitor Reis is all-set for a move to the Etihad Stadium some time this month, with a £30 million deal being floated around. Besides the Gunners, City have also seen off tough competition from the likes of Real Madrid to finally land their target.
Arsenal reportedly were keen to bring the player onboard in a deal similar to the one they cracked for William Saliba few years ago. The Gunner fended off competition from other top clubs to sign the Frenchman for a similar fee from AS Saint-Etienne, before loaning him back to the same club. He then spent loan spells with Nice and Marseille, before breaking into the Arsenal first team in 2022. Since then, Saliba has been a mainstay.
Now, the Gunners’ wish of doing the same has been scrapped by rivals Manchester City.
Football expert makes huge comparisons for Reis
As is the case with most top talents coming out of Brazil, journalists and pundits simply cannot hold back comparing fresh talents to those that came before them. The same is the case for Vitor Reis, who drew comparisons with two of his nation’s modern footballing legends.
Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery expressed his delight at Reis moving to a Premier League side, and could not hold back comparing him to two greats. He told Sky Sports News, “You can see the influence of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, that is the centre-back he wants to be. Classy on the ball, head up, and can play out the back.”
The traits mentioned by Vickery are exactly what Manchester City look for in a player, and in Reis, they might just have landed a future Brazilian great.
