Pep Guardiola and Vitor Reis hold honest behind-the-scenes chat about Manchester City future | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and on-loan defender Vitor Reis are said to have held a behind-the-scenes chat prior to the player’s temporary exit to Girona.

Reis has joined Girona on loan for the 2025-26 campaign six months after signing for Manchester City from Brazilian side Palmeiras, with club officials keen for teenager to progress his development in the La Liga with regular senior minutes.

The 19-year-old was brought in as an emergency signing alongside Abdukodir Khusanov in January, with Manchester City struggling to name a starting XI amidst a gruelling injury crisis that derailed a majority of their 2024-25 campaign.

However, minutes have been hard to come by for the young centre-half under Guardiola, who is a big fan of Reis and considers the Brazilian a key prospect for the seasons to come, having signed a two-year deal in the fall of 2024 that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium till the summer of 2027.

Hugo Viana assumed the role of Manchester City’s director of football this summer and trimming the first-team squad’s centre-half roster is understood to have been a key priority for the board heading into the transfer window.

John Stones has stayed into the final year of his contract and with Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake also returning to full fitness in the closing stages of the previous campaign, City were overstocked with centre-backs and decided to send Reis on loan for the 2025-26 campaign.

According to the information of Brazilian outlet Trivela, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City still see Reis as a key part of their medium and long-term project despite his season-long loan move to Girona.

It is claimed that a breakthrough came after a chat between Reis and Pep Guardiola, who praised the teenager’s first six months at the Etihad Stadium, but admitted amid the current defensive hierarchy at the club, consistent match minutes would be hard to come by.

From the side of Reis, the former Palmeiras man is said to have shared his dream of making the 2026 World Cup squad and Guardiola agreed that a full season of regular football could help catch Carlo Ancelotti’s eye.

As for the move to Girona, the City Football Group club are said to have ticked every box: still within the portfolio of clubs, easy to monitor the defender, quick info-sharing, and the option to recall Reis at any point if needed during the ongoing campaign.

Over at Manchester City, Etihad officials are simultaneously keeping an eye on the contracts of their existing centre-backs with John Stones out of a deal at the end of the season, while Nathan Aké, Rúben Dias and Manuel Akanji are all tied down until 2027.

City have reached an agreement to extend Dias’ contract but a departure for one of Ake or Akanji next summer could open the doors for a potential return to England for Reis, who will benefit from regular playing time in Spain this season.