Enquiries made: Arsenal want to sign £83m wonderkid from Brazil, four more clubs keen – The Athletic | OneFootball

Arsenal have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign Palmeiras wonderkid Vitor Reis, according to The Athletic.

The 18-year-old has made a huge impression since breaking into Palmeiras’ first-team and he recently signed a long-term contract with a £83 million release clause.

It is now revealed that the Gunners and Los Blancos have made initial enquiries to Palmeiras and the player’s representatives, but there have been no formal approaches.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are also admirers of the centre-back. Palmeiras have not set an asking price yet as they plan to keep him until after the 2025 Club World Cup.

Arsenal unlikely to land Reis next year

The Gunners are currently loaded with immense talent in the heart of the defence. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are regarded as the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League.

The club also have Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior, who can operate from the central defensive positions when manager Mikel Arteta opts for a change.

Kiwior has been linked with a return to Serie A for some time. Even if he leaves, we don’t see the Gunners making an approach for Reis, considering the huge competition for places.

The youngster may want the assurance of minutes which he is unlikely to get at Arsenal. It could be a different story with Madrid, who are eyeing a young centre-back in the squad.

Lille’s Leny Yoro was their prime target for much of the year before he chose to join Manchester United.

Los Blancos could now turn their attention to Reis. In our opinion, the speculation linking with Arsenal could be agent-driven too as the Gunners are competing among the elite again.

Linking a player with the Gunners could encourage bids from their European and domestic rivals.