Enzo Maresca coy on Manchester City defender’s future as stay or loan doubts remain | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has addressed Vitor Reis’ Manchester City future, insisting the club will take the “best decision” for the young defender after pre-season.

Vitor Reis arrived at Manchester City from Palmeiras in January 2025 in a deal worth approximately £12.5 million, joining a club that had tracked the young Brazilian for some time and viewed him as a long-term defensive prospect capable of developing into a first-team regular at the Etihad Stadium.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Girona in Spain, using the campaign to gain valuable first-team experience in La Liga before returning to Manchester City this summer with renewed ambition. He spoke openly upon his return about his desire to earn a place in Maresca’s plans for the 2026-27 campaign, naming the new manager as a source of genuine excitement.

Reis has been part of the touring squad for City’s east Asia pre-season and has trained under Maresca’s direct supervision in both Hong Kong and Seoul, giving the manager a first-hand view of a player who has clearly made a positive impression on those working with him day to day.

The question of his immediate future – whether he stays as part of Maresca’s squad for the new season, returns on another loan, or moves permanently – is one of several decisions the club must resolve before the transfer window closes and competitive football begins.

Maresca: We will take the best decision for them, not just us

Speaking after City’s 3-1 pre-season win over K-League All Stars in Seoul on Wednesday, Maresca was asked directly about the future of Reis and offered a response that was warm but deliberately non-committal.

“Vitor is working very well. I am happy with him,” said Maresca. “The only thing is for most of the young players here with us, the plan is to finish pre-season and then take the final decision. And we will take the best decision for them, not just us.”

A manager who was planning to move a player on would rarely frame the decision in terms of the player’s own best interests – suggesting Maresca sees genuine value in Reis and is weighing whether his development is best served at the Etihad Stadium or through another loan spell at a high level.

The phrasing fits Maresca’s broader communication style on the tour, which has been to avoid premature commitments on any individual while the full squad picture remains incomplete – with World Cup returnees yet to join the group and further transfer activity still expected before the window closes.

Manchester City’s summer transfer window so far

Manchester City have been busy across both sides of the market this summer, with the British record £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest the headline piece of incoming business, supplemented by the imminent arrival of goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille.

James Trafford is on the verge of joining Leeds United in an outgoing deal, while Tijjani Reijnders has been linked with a £60 million move to Nottingham Forest as the club continues to manage the composition of a midfield group that has grown considerably deeper this summer.

The pursuit of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille remains live, with direct contact having been made at the highest level between both clubs. Rodri’s situation also continues to develop in the background, with Real Madrid understood to have an agreement with the player personally as club-to-club talks over a fee progress.

Reis’s situation sits within that broader picture – one of several personnel decisions that will crystallise once the pre-season programme concludes in Seoul and Maresca has the full context he needs to make informed calls on the shape of his squad for the season ahead.