Manchester City defender Vitor Reis will not be returning to Brazil with Flamengo, despite reports the Brazilian side are interested.
That’s according to journalist Jorge Nicola, who reports on his own channel on YouTube that Reis’ staff have denied the rumours.
Reis joined Manchester City in the January transfer window in a big money move from Palmeiras as Pep Guardiola spent big in the winter window to revitalise his squad.
He arrived at the Etihad with a growing reputation from his homeland, where he is considered one of the rising stars of the future and had been tracked by Real Madrid.
He’s barely featured for Manchester City since his arrival, though, with just three appearances to his name and two of those coming in the FA Cup. His one Premier League appearance was a two-minute cameo on April 2nd.
That has led to speculation that he could be moved on, at least temporarily, with a loan to sister club Girona floated to allow him to establish himself in Europe. There has also been reports that Flamengo would like to take him back to Brazil and have spoken to Manchester City about this possibility.
Nicola has seen those and now provides his take, after speaking to Reis’ team to gauge their reaction to the reports.
“I contacted someone from Vitor Reis’ staff to find out if the possibility of returning to Brazil is at least being studied, speculated, and if Flamengo has made an inquiry,” he said.
“That Flamengo is looking for a defender, that is real. About Vitor Reis I was not able to confirm with anyone at Flamengo about the interest in this athlete, but it is possible to rule out that Manchester City would agree to negotiate for him with Brazilian or South American teams.
“If he does not stay there, he will gain experience and experience in another team in European football, especially because at Manchester City, they are betting a lot on the development and future of this player.
“So, you, red-black fan who got excited about this idea, there is no reason for that.”
