Girona secure services of Manchester City centre-back Vitor Reis | OneFootball

Written by Paul McGarraghy

Girona have secured the services of Manchester City centre-back Vitor Reis. The 19-year-old Brazilian was spotted shortly after landing in Spain on Tuesday and was seen posing for a photo with a Girona fan ahead of his loan move.

Reis joined City in the January transfer window from Palmeiras, in a deal reported to be worth approximately €37m, and is viewed as a long-term investment by the English club. However, given the wealth of talent the Premier League side possess in central defence, a loan move has been considered the best option for Reis’ development.

Early days at Manchester City for Vitor Reis

Since making the switch from Brazil to Manchester, Reis has made just four appearances for City – starting three games, two of which came in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient and Plymouth Argyle, and one in the recent FIFA Club World Cup against Wydad AC – in addition to a substitute appearance on his Premier League debut against Leicester City.

Image via Cordon Press

Thanks to the close ties between the clubs as part of the City Football Group, and with Michel Sanchez’s side playing a brand of football that complements City’s overarching philosophy, Girona have been well positioned to complete the deal. Reis joins a growing list of players who have featured for both City and Girona, with the likes of Yan Couto and Douglas Luiz among other Brazilians to have made the move in recent years.

The Catalan club is widely seen within the City Football Group as an excellent platform for talent development. However, as both Girona and City were participants in the same European competition last season, UEFA rules prevented any loan moves between the two sides. Nevertheless, as Girona fans will recall, City exercised their option to purchase another Brazilian – who had been on loan at Girona during the 2023/24 season from fellow CFG club ESTAC Troyes – in July 2024.

Girona to miss out on Echeverri

Girona made it clear early in the summer that they were eager to bring in more than one loanee from Manchester City ahead of the new season and also expressed strong interest in young Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri. However, Echeverri is understood to prefer a move to a club competing in UEFA competition, with Italian side AS Roma – who are set to feature in the Europa League – keen to secure his services, along with several Premier League clubs. The door to Girona has not yet closed, but it is now considered more unlikely than likely that he will join the Catalan side on loan for the 2025/26 season.Girona remain interested in several other players within City’s ranks, and the English club are looking to move on a number of squad members – either to aid their development or to free up space, with Pep Guardiola having stated his desire for a smaller squad. A decision on who will join Reis on loan at Girona is likely to take some time and will depend on other movements within the market.