Brighton & Hove Albion are trying to conclude a deal to buy teenage central defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras.
Palmeiras are understood to value Reis at upwards of £25million (€30.1m, $31m), with Brighton’s bids so far falling short of that figure as talks continue.
The Brazilian club are reluctant to let the defender leave and have informed him that they would prefer to retain his services for the upcoming Club World Cup, which begins in June later this year.
Arsenal and Real Madrid are among a host of top European clubs who have previously shown an interest in the centre-back.
Reis has been capped by Brazil up to under-17 level and has made 22 first-team appearances for Palmeiras since making his senior debut in June.
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with Palmeiras towards the end of the 2022 season, penning a deal through 2025, and swiftly established himself as a regular starter in central defence for Abel Ferreira’s side.
The defender came through the Palmeiras youth system at the same time as forwards Endrick and Luis Guilherme, who moved on to Real Madrid and West Ham United respectively in 2024.
Reis has been capped up to under-17 level by Brazil (Masashi Hara – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Reis would fit Brighton transfer policy
Analysis from Andy Naylor
Brighton have a track record of using the winter window for signings with the future in mind.
For example, 20-year-old Argentinian left-back Valentin Barco arrived from Boca Juniors in the January 2024 window. Barco is currently on loan to La Liga side Sevilla.
South America is a strong market for Brighton , with players past and present signed directly from clubs in Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay.
The centre of defence will eventually require regeneration.
Long-serving skipper Lewis Dunk is 33-years-old and Adam Webster reaches 30 tomorrow. Both players have suffered injury problems this season. The other senior central defenders are Reis’s fellow countryman Igor Julio, 26, and 24-year-old Dutch international Jan Paul van Hecke.
Igor was bought from Fiorentina in the summer 2023 transfer window. Ruairi McConville, 19, has made a breakthrough this season, featuring in matchday squads as an unused substitute and earning senior international recognition with Northern Ireland.
(Top image: Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images)
