Barcelona receive Man City response on Vitor Reis interest as Enzo Maresca maps pre-season plans | OneFootball

Barcelona are interested in signing Manchester City defender Vitor Reis off the back of an impressive season-long loan in the Spanish top-flight.

City have invested significantly in Reis since signing him from Palmeiras in January 2025, with the Brazilian having spent last season on loan at Girona before Barcelona made contact with City over his future following Girona’s relegation to Spain’s second tier.

Incoming City manager Enzo Maresca had already signalled his intention to re-integrate Reis into the first-team squad at the Etihad Stadium for the 2026-27 season, ending any uncertainty over a further loan elsewhere.

Reis is reportedly using the off-season to focus on gaining strength and arriving in better physical condition ahead of his return to Manchester, with the 20-year-old widely expected to challenge for senior minutes once Maresca’s squad reports back for training.

Report: City plan to integrate Reis from late July

As per Shamoon Hafez of BBC Sport, sources have dismissed reports in Spain claiming Barcelona are interested in Vitor Reis as pure speculation, with the plan as it stands for the defender to be an option for Manchester City next season, first joining pre-season towards the end of July.

The clarification comes after Barcelona’s sporting department, headed by Deco, reignited their interest in the centre-back earlier this month, with the Catalan club having previously tracked Reis before his move to the Etihad Stadium in 2025.

The update suggests City’s stance has not shifted despite the renewed external interest, with Reis remaining firmly part of Maresca’s plans for the new campaign.

What is the wider context for Reis’ City future?

Reis made four appearances under Pep Guardiola in the 2024-25 season before his loan at Girona, where he registered over 30 La Liga appearances and earned his first senior Brazil call-up in March. City’s defensive picture has shifted significantly this summer.

John Stones has departed as a free agent and Ruben Dias is the subject of growing transfer speculation amid interest from Real Madrid, potentially opening a clearer path for Reis to establish himself.

The timeline of a late-July pre-season arrival gives Maresca a clear window to assess the Brazilian alongside the rest of his rebuilt backline, with director of football Hugo Viana having consistently maintained that Reis is viewed as a long-term piece of City’s defensive planning regardless of the noise generated by reports elsewhere.