Pep Guardiola responds to Man City loanee's transfer message

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola responded to defender Vitor Reis' desire to return to the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has confirmed a decision will be made on centre-back Vitor Reis at the end of the season after the defender insisted his goal is to return to the Etihad Stadium in the summer. The 20-year-old joined City from Brazilian club Palmeiras in January 2025 and made three appearances for the Blues last season.

However, in a bid to improve his development, City loaned Reis to affiliate club Girona. The 20-year-old has become a regular for the Spanish team and has only missed two La Liga matches this season, both due to suspension.

While Reis has been away from the Etihad Stadium, City have invested in their defence with the January arrival of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace while Abdukodir Khusanov has impressed for the Blues in recent weeks. But with John Stones set to depart in the summer and Nathan Ake potentially departing, the makeup of the City backline will change.

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Reis wants to be part of that and has said as much this week. Guardiola, speaking ahead of the Premier League trip to Burnley on Wednesday, said of the youngster: "From my info he has been unbelievable. The reason he went there, at that young age, was because he did not have much options to play here.

"He has grown up as a player. He has faced the best strikers in Spain and it is not easy to deal with. He grew a lot so he is happy. The decisions will be made at the end of the season."

Despite guaranteed game time at Girona, Reis has not lost sight of his ultimate goal - to play for City. He told Globo Esporte: "My intention, my desire, is to return to Manchester City, to play and have space.

"But, as I always say, I will focus on the day-to-day, on this end of the season, so that when the moment for that conversation comes, we can sit down calmly, with a clear mind. When I found out they were thinking about loaning me, I was a bit shocked, because it wasn’t something that crossed my mind.

"But after I understood it better and spoke to several people, I realised it would be good for me, especially for minutes, for playing more games. At my age, I need to play.

"So I think it was a very important decision, 100 per cent correct, to come here. Here at Girona I am very happy. The people are incredible, and I believe it was a very good choice."

Reis also explained that moving to City was a reality check for him as he took his career to the next step. "City was also a very beautiful story in my life," he added.

"When I arrived there, it was kind of a reality check, just like it was with the national team. You arrive and see the players around you. I remember seeing my name next to guys like Rodri, Bernardo Silva… and that made me very happy.

"It is a club that always tries to get the maximum out of players, and that helped me a lot. I learned many things with Pep, who is a surreal guy in terms of mentality and understanding of the game."