Manchester City starlet expected to follow Vitor Reis to Girona in season-long loan move | OneFootball

Girona and Manchester City are expected to build upon their pending agreement for Vitor Reis to head to La Liga for the new season by discussing a further loan deal.

City’s strategic relationship with Girona continues to show its value as Pep Guardiola’s club assesses tailored development pathways for some of its most exciting emerging stars ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

With Vitor Reis already seen as a strong fit for the demands of La Liga, Manchester City officials are now also pushing forward with another potential short-term move to the same destination.

Reis, a £29.6 million signing from Palmeiras in January, has made a handful of first-team appearances under Pep Guardiola and is set to use the 2025/26 campaign to now gain consistent minutes in Europe’s top five leagues.

City have long viewed a Girona loan as a priority for the 19-year-old, particularly given the existing relationship between the two clubs under the City Football Group umbrella. Reis may now be joined in Catalonia by a youthful player who also featured for City in recent matches.

According to the information of Nil Sola reporting for SER, Vitor Reis to Girona on loan for the forthcoming campaign is not expected to be the last move involving a Manchester City talent this summer.

The Catalan club are said to be holding a firm desire to also secure Claudio Echeverri on a loan agreement, despite the player’s preference being to join AS Roma. Nevertheless, it is made clear that the feeling is the Argentine will end up at the City Football Group side.

While the aforementioned Italian club had shown concrete interest in Echeverri in recent days, reportedly with a view to negotiating a €33 million option to buy and an additional €40 million buy-back clause in favour of Manchester City, a resolution with the Serie A side has not yet materialised.

The Italian giants’ hesitance to take on a ‘dry loan’ may ultimately open the door for City Football Group to take control of the player’s development more directly, while City may believe that Girona offers a more controlled environment for Echeverri’s adaptation.

Despite his senior outings since joining in January, competition in Guardiola’s first-team roster is likely to severely limit Echeverri’s week-to-week football at the Etihad Stadium this season.

Girona’s tactical system and need for a creative force in advanced areas may now provide an ideal platform. If an agreement is reached, it would further reinforce the long-term development model currently being put into place across CFG clubs.

Whether Roma return to the table with a more flexible structure, or City finalise a move to Girona, what now appears certain is that Claudio Echeverri will not remain in Manchester for the 2025/26 season.