BACK David Tully Aug 14th 2024 Manchester United are one of three Premier League clubs who have “sounded out” Palmeiras centre-back Vitor Reis, according to AS reporter Eduardo Burgos. Writing on his X account (quotes translated), Burgos claims that Chelsea and Arsenal have also contacted the player, while Real Madrid may enter the race for his signature too: “Real Madrid have yet to contact Palmeiras to discuss Vitor Reis. Sources close to the player confirm that several European clubs (Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea) have sounded out his situation. Madrid are expected to send scouts soon.” The defender is just 18 years of age but he has turned heads with his performances in recent weeks, having started 10 games for Palmeiras since the start of July. He only made his senior debut as a substitute against Fortaleza at the end of June. What else do fans need to know about Reis? The teenager has been captain of Brazil’s Under 17 team since the start of last year. He started all but one match at the South American Under 17 Championships as his team won 7 of their 9 fixtures. Reis was also in the squad that played at the Under 17 World Cup back in November before his team lost in the quarter-final to arch-rivals Argentina. United may have a tough time securing the centre-half’s services It should be pointed out that Real Madrid and Chelsea have signed players from Palmeiras recently, with the former recruiting Endrick and the latter purchasing Estevao Willian (one of Reis’s World Cup teammates) earlier this summer. Both clubs will, therefore, have good relationships with Palmeiras’s board. Arsenal, meanwhile, also have a Brazilian sporting director Edu, who has strong ties in his homeland. United may, therefore, have an uphill task trying to snap up Reis ahead of other interested teams. Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World’s Football News Network.
