Manchester, Jan 21 (IANS): Manchester City have announced the signing of Vitor Reis from Palmeiras. The 19-year-old Brazilian youth international moves to the Etihad Stadium on a four-and-a-half-year deal, keeping him at City until the summer of 2029.

A centre-back and regular captain on his journey through Palmeiras’ youth ranks, Reis made his senior debut in June 2024 and went on to be a key part of the team as they finished runners-up in the Brazilian Serie A.

Reis said it’s a ‘dream come true’ to join Manchester City. He is City's second signing of the January transfer window after joining from Palmeiras following the arrival of Uzbek enforcer Abdukodir Khusanov.

"The magnitude of Manchester City, its history and its structure,” he said when asked what he admired most about the Club. "I followed a lot in the last few years. All we watch on TV is Manchester City so every kid who loves football is certainly watching Manchester City. When the door knocked and it was Manchester City, I knew there wasn’t anywhere else to go," said Reis.

He played 22 times for his boyhood club, including 18 games in the league and two matches in the Copa Libertadores.

At 19, Reis's journey in senior football is only just beginning. But having captained Palmeiras and Brazil youth sides, he’s always been earmarked as both an outstanding defensive prospect and an innate leader.

Alongside his natural reassuring presence, his raw physical capabilities are what made him desirable for the defending champions. As a youngster seeking to develop, Reis will undoubtedly hope to grow his game under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola and be moulded into the kind of defender that has proved the backbone of the club's recent success.

Compatriots Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus, who also moved from Palmeiras as a teenager, have previously excelled at City under Guardiola while Ederson and Savinho are still here.