Joao Paulo Sampaio, the head of Palmeiras’ academy, insisted that top defensive talent Vitor Reis could leave next summer for €35 million.
Palmeiras teenager Vitor Ruis could leave the club for a top European side for €35 million. The club’s head of academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, pointed out that it would take a club-record bid for a defender to take the teenager’s way, as he also predicted which club he might fit into.
The Brazilian market has opened up in a big way over the last few years, and Real Madrid’s signing of Endrick deserves a lot of credit for that. Palmeiras sold the striker for a considerable sum well before the attacker could break into the first team; currently, he is thriving at the Santiago Bernabeu, which has garnered more interest from European clubs to explore moves for other talents.
Palmeiras has since sold other talents to different clubs, with Vitor Reis the latest in their stable to garner significant interest. The teenage defender reportedly had big offers from at least two European clubs during the summer, as per their head of the academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio who insisted via TBR that Palmeiras rejected offers worth €30 million.
He said, “There were two teams that talked about [signing Reis for] €30 million and Palmeiras refused,”
“Vitor Reis will be the most expensive defender in the history of Brazil. He will be sold for around €35 million euros.”
In his future, Sampiao insisted that Reis would only leave for a record sum, meaning a €35 million offer should seal the deal for any interested parties. He suggested there’s a massive chance for the teenager to leave next summer while hinting that he would fit in a big way with a club like Real Madrid because he’s already at their level.
Sampaio continued, “Palmeiras did not want to listen (to any offers for Vitor Reis) because they are focused on the 2025 Club World Cup. If there is anything, just like what happened with [Chelsea’s Wesley] Estevao, it will be after the World Cup.“
“If you have a kid at 18 years old [playing at] this level… He has played as a starter in the Libertadores and in the World Cups. He is a young man with the level of Real Madrid and other teams of the world. These young guys want to play for Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Barcelona are one of the clubs interested in Reis, although their current financial situation would make it challenging for them to pay as much for the €35m-rated Brazilian prodigy. That leaves others like Real Madrid with the onus to get a deal done, but there’s competition from English opposition like Arsenal and Liverpool.
Arsenal and Liverpool alert to Vitor Reis’s situation
Arsenal and Liverpool are among the teams keen on Vitor Reis, as the two English giants are also extremely eager to explore the South American market. They are particularly keen on adding young defenders to the mix and will be eager to develop them into their preferred mould.
The idea of challenging Real Madrid or Barcelona for a player like Vitor Reis would be a tough prospect, given that Brazilian players tend to prefer the Spanish giants over other suitors. However, there’s still an open chance provided the English sides outbid their Spanish counterparts, as it will take a big bid to sign the €35m-rated Brazilian prodigy.
