Palmeiras president Leila Pereira insists that Manchester City target Vitor Reis will only be allowed to leave the Brazilian club after the Club World Cup in June.
Speaking to The Athletic, Pereira played down reports that the Cityzens are close to sealing the signing of the teenager and he said that, like Chelsea’s deal for Estevao Willian, any move for Reis would have to be delayed until the summer:
“I want to say the information coming out is not correct [on Reis]. Palmeiras is in no hurry to sell. There is an extremely important tournament for Palmeiras and we need Vitor.”
“Estevao will go to Chelsea after the Club World Cup. If there is any official negotiation, the value is very important and that the player leaves after the Club World Cup.”
What is the latest on City’s attempts to sign Reis?
On Friday, journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Premier League champions were holding direct talks with Palmeiras about signing the centre-back.
The Cityzens are hoping to agree a deal worth €40m (£34m) for Reis, with discussions underway regarding the inclusion of performance-related add-ons.
Romano says there is already an agreement in place with the defender on personal terms.
Other Premier League teams have been linked with the player
Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton have also been credited with an interest in Reis over the past few months but it does appear as if City are the only club that have entered formal discussions
It may be the case that Palmeiras’ stance on keeping the 18-year-old until the summer has put off other teams from getting involved but it seems it is not an issue for Pep Guardiola’s side. We shall see how negotiations progress over the coming days.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
