As Manchester City’s dynasty comes to an end, they’re looking to revamp their squad with young talent. The latest of those is Palmeiras’ Vitor Reis. But what would the Brazilian bring to Pep Guardiola’s side?
Three wins in a row might have restored a semblance of calm at Manchester City, but there’s no escaping it: this season has been massively disappointing by their lofty standards. They sit 12 points off the top of the Premier League table and their place in the Champions League knockout stages is still up in the air. Things can still obviously change from here, but it’s shaping up to be their poorest campaign since Pep Guardiola’s debut season in charge.
Guardiola’s current squad has achieved incredible success, but it’s now nearing the end of its natural cycle. With an average starting XI age of 27 years and 167 days in the league this season, City’s squad is the eighth oldest in the division, and that number is only heading one way. A look at their squad age profile shows a lot of players past their peak years playing significant minutes.
The club need to invest in new, young talent to replenish the squad and set themselves up for continued long-term success.
What better way to do that, then, by targeting two extremely young and promising central defenders in the January transfer window, as well as pursuing a young player who can produce right away in Omar Marmoush.
Twenty-year-old defender Abdukodir Khusanov is expected to be the club’s first arrival of the January transfer window from Ligue 1 side Lens. But City are also working on a deal to sign another centre-back in Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis, as they look to retool their backline.
There’s still some work to be done to secure Reis, though. While City reportedly have an agreement in place with the player himself, the clubs still need to agree a fee. There’s also the revamped Club World Cup this summer to consider. City want Reis now, but Palmeiras understandably want to keep their talented young defender for that tournament.
Speaking to The Athletic, Palmeiras president Leila Pereira was pretty emphatic about that fact: “He is another of our sons from the Palmeiras academy. He is extremely talented and very important for our team. We intend to count on him to help us in the Club World Cup.”
Whether Reis joins now or in the summer, City have the financial clout to get what they want.
But what would he bring to Guardiola’s squad?
At just 18 years old, Reis has quickly emerged as one of the most promising young defenders in Brazilian football. A right-footed centre-back who can play at right-back as well, Reis is a product of Palmeiras’ esteemed academy, an institution that has recently produced prospects like Endrick (now at Real Madrid), Luis Guilherme (West Ham), and Willian Estevão (set to join Chelsea next year).
Perhaps what’s most impressive about Reis is how quickly he’s carved out a regular spot in Palmeiras’ first team. Last year’s Brazilian Serie A season was his first taste of senior club football, and although it took him until a third of the way through the campaign to make his debut (June 2024), once he started, he did not look back. Since then, he appeared in 22 of Palmeiras’ final 30 games of the 2024 season in all competitions, starting 20 of them.
To play that many games at such a young age is in itself quite an achievement, and a surefire sign of Reis’ undeniable talent.
Only 49 players aged 18 or younger appeared in the Brazilian Serie A last season. Of those, just 13 made over 10 appearances, with Reis’ 1,457 minutes ranking third among teenagers, behind teammate Estêvão and Kauã Elias at Fluminense.
Reis also boasts a distinguished international career at youth level, captaining Brazil’s U17 team at the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup. This is not a normal 18-year-old that the Premier League champions are looking to acquire.
He is, however, still 18. Given how time works, that fact is pretty unavoidable. And that does mean Reis has a long way to develop physically to the demands of the Premier League.
Talking to Sky Sports last week, South American football expert Tim Vickery described him as “physically nowhere near Premier League ready.” His slight, lean build will need bulking up.
Despite that, though, Reis’ height, spring and aggression make him extremely good in the air. He won 2.9 aerial duels per 90 in the Brazilian Serie A last season, a figure that would put him in the top 10 among Premier League defenders this campaign. For context, Liverpool’s two hulking centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté have won 3.0 aerials per 90 this season, and the most active City defender in this metric is Nathan Aké (2.1).
Now, Palmerias see a lot less of the ball (53.7%) than a team like Manchester City (61.5%), so any player on that team has a lot more opportunity to challenge for balls in the air. But even looking at aerial win rate to try to strip some of that noise away sees Reis come out looking quite favourably. His success rate in the air of 66.2% is better than any Manchester City defender (Rúben Dias best at 60%).
His ability to attack the ball in the air works well in the opposition’s box as well. Both of his goals at Palmeiras have come via headers, and given Guardiola has taken a liking in recent seasons to playing centre-backs across his entire back four, it’s perhaps not surprising City have identified someone they think they can bulk up into a capable physical presence.
On the ball, Reis has the fundamental technical proficiency that you’d expect from anyone linked with City. For a start, he’s got experience of seeing a reasonable amount of the ball – his 43.7 successful passes per game was second for Palmeiras last season behind full-back Mayke.
He’s technically able, too. His 89.2% passing accuracy actually led the way among all Palmeiras players in 2024, while that rate remains a healthy 81.5% when he’s put under pressure.
But a deeper dig into this numbers suggest he’ll need to develop greater bravery on the ball if he’s to be really effective in City’s structure. Reis made just 2.3 progressive passes per 90 last season, which was among the lowest rate of any Palmeiras player, and just 30% of his attempted passes were forward, ranking almost dead last among Serie A centre-backs. Nor he is someone who carried the ball out of defence particularly regularly.
But again, let’s reiterate. He’s 18. All aspects of his game are going to develop massively, including his courage in possession.
Reis’ pathway could mirror that of Gabriel Jesus, who City also plucked from Palmeiras during the January transfer window back in 2017. While not always among City’s first-choice XI, Jesus was still a core part of a side that won four Premier League titles, three League Cup crowns and an FA Cup while he was in Manchester. That’s not bad going at all.
The Brazilian club’s success in nurturing talent, combined with Reis’ already significant experience for his age, underscores why City are determined to bring him to the Etihad.
Should Reis join Man City, he’ll have the opportunity to develop in one of football’s best coaching setups. While he’ll face challenges adapting to the physical demands and expectations of the Premier League, his potential is undeniable.
For City, securing Reis would represent another step in building a new squad ready to dominate for years to come.
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