Manchester City have signed defender Vitor Reis from Brazilian Serie A side Palmeiras on a four-and-a-half-year contract, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.
Palmeiras were reluctant to part with the 19-year-old, as they hoped to have him available for this year’s Club World Cup. However, Reis will join City immediately.
“Vitor Reis is one of the most promising young defenders in the world and we’re delighted to been able to bring him here,” City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain said in a club statement.
“In his short time in senior football in Brazil, he has shown he has the ability to go very far in the game and we know that working with Pep and our coaches will help to get the best out of him.”
A Brazil under-17 international, Reis has made 18 league appearances for Palmeiras and is considered a key component of City manager Pep Guardiola’s vision to reshape the squad.
Reis will line up alongside fellow promising youngster Abdukodir Khusanov, 20, who signed on Monday from Lens as part of the team’s transition to a new generation.
Reis, a versatile defender comfortable at centre back and right back, developed through Palmeiras’ academy, making his senior debut last June. His talents reportedly attracted interest from numerous elite European clubs, including Real Madrid.
