Man City 'fail' with opening bid for 18-year-old defender as Pep Guardiola suffers £33.5m blow

Palmeiras person supposedly turned down Manchester City's opening attack for highly-rated centre-back Vitor Reis, but the Premier League champions stay assured of striking an agreement.

It was reported a mates of days agone that the Citizens were preparing to nonstop a connection worthy astir €40m (£33.5m) to Palmeiras for Reis, who is regarded arsenic 1 of the champion antiaircraft prospects successful South America.

The 2006-born starlet has already played 22 times for the Palmeiras archetypal squad - scoring 2 goals - and helium has seemingly already agreed idiosyncratic presumption with Pep Guardiola's side.

However, Palmeiras tin spend to play hardball successful negotiations fixed that Reis is nether declaration astatine the nine until December 2028, and according to journalist Ben Jacobs, City's archetypal bid has been turned down.

The 2 clubs stay successful talks implicit a imaginable deal, though, and Guardiola's squad stay assured that they volition yet get their man, but helium whitethorn not nexus up with the first-team squad close away.

Palmeiras 'want to support City-linked Reis for Club World Cup'

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Instead, Palmeiras seemingly privation to support Reis connected the books for the upcoming Club World Cup this summertime arsenic portion of immoderate woody with City, who would truthful indebtedness him backmost to Brazil should they travel to an statement this month.

Palmeiras volition look Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, Porto and Al Ahly successful the radical signifier of the 2025 Club World Cup, which volition reason connected July 13 with the last astatine MetLife Stadium.

However, the club's president Leila Pereira precocious told The Athletic that portion involvement successful Reis is widespread, they were yet to person a ceremonial bid for the 18-year-old, saying: "He is different of our sons from the Palmeiras academy.

"He is highly talented and precise important for our team. We mean to number connected him to assistance america successful the Club World Cup. Several European clubs are interested. At the infinitesimal determination are lone soundings from assorted clubs... nary authoritative proposal.

"He has a contract. But if determination is an absorbing connection for Palmeiras and the player, we volition beryllium down and talk. I privation to accidental the accusation coming retired is not correct. Palmeiras is successful nary hurry to sell. There is an highly important tourney for Palmeiras and we request Vitor."

Brighton & Hove Albion are besides said to person failed with an connection for Reis, who captained Brazil's Under-17s astatine the age-group World Cup and South American Championships successful 2023.

What astir Abdukodir Khusanov?

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While City inactive person immoderate enactment to bash to bring Reis to the club, the Citizens are believed to beryllium on the verge of capturing 20-year-old Lens and Uzbekistan centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.

The 2004-born defender - who has besides been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United - missed grooming with the French squad connected Friday, which manager Will Still revealed was owed to illness.

However, the Sang et Or caput manager besides confirmed that negotiations were advancing betwixt the 2 clubs, and the English champions are expected to wrapper up Khusanov's signing wrong the adjacent fewer days.

Nevertheless, Guardiola was quintessentially tight-lipped connected imaginable incomings when asked astir transfers up of City's FA Cup third-round clash with Salford City connected Saturday evening.

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