On January 3, 2025, Express journalist Charlie Parker-Turner reported that Brighton have had two bids rejected for Vitor Reis.
He also reported that a new £23.5 million bid had been placed.
This was also reportedly rejected by Palmeiras. It is said the Brazilian club are wanting at least £25 million to let the defender go.
With the Seagulls currently only having two fit senior centre backs in Jan Paul van Hecke and Adam Webster, it is likely a fourth bid will be submitted for the 18-year-old.
The Brazilian only made his professional debut 195 days ago, so you will be forgiven if you have not heard of him before.
So, if Brighton do get the deal done, what will he bring to the club? And where will he fit in?
VAVEL explores all here.
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Club Career
Reis started his career in Palmeiras U20 squad, where he made his debut on July 21, 2023.
He played 18 minutes in a 3-3 draw with Botafogo U20 in the CBF Brasileiro U20 Finals Quarter-Final first leg.
The youngster played 32 minutes in the second leg, which Palmeiras won 4-0.
He then started both legs in the semi-final.
Big Green breezed past Corinthians U20 6-1 on aggregate.
He also played 90 minutes in the final against Flamingo U20 but lost 3-2 on penalties.
The following season, he started a further seven games in that competition, only losing one game.
In January 2024, Reis made four appearances in the Copa São Paulo De Futebol Júnior.
He started three and played half the match in another.
Once again, his team only lost one game.
In total, he made 16 appearances for Palmeiras U20, playing 1,260 minutes of football.
The Brazilian academy side only lost three out of those 16 games he played in.
They also kept six clean sheets in those games.
After seriously impressing for the U20s team, Reis was promoted to the first team.
He made his professional debut on June 27, 2024.
He played 16 minutes in a 3-0 defeat to Fortaleza in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
This is the top tier of Brazilian football.
Just five days later, he was given his first start for the club.
He played as centre-back in a 2-0 victory over Corinthians and scored the winning goal.
For the rest of 2024, Reis started a further 15 league games and four cup games.
Two of these were in the Copa Libertadores, and two in the Copa Do Brasil.
In the Last 16 second leg of the Copa Do Brasil, he scored the only goal in a win over Flamengo.
During his first six months in the first team, he played 1,817 minutes across 22 games.
Out of those 22 games he played in, Palmeiras lost seven, drew five, won 10, and kept four clean sheets.
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International Career
Due to his age, Reis has only made appearances at two age groups of the Brazil national team set-up.
On April 9, 2022, he made his Brazil U16 debut at the age of 16 years, two months and 28 days.
In total, he played three games for the U16s and started all of them.
He was called up by manager Dudu Patetuci.
Just under a year later, on March 31, 2023, he made his Brazil U17 debut at the age of 17 years, two months and 19 days.
He was called up by Phelipe Leal.
The youngster made eight appearances in the U17-Südamerikameisterschaft.
He provided one assist in 720 minutes of game time.
He also made five appearances in the U17-Weltmeisterschaft 2009, where he scored one goal in a total on 450 minutes.
Reis also started eight out of nine games in the U-17 South American Championship 2023.
He captained the side and picked up an assist in the opening game against Ecuador U17.
A few months later he also started and captained Brazil U17 in the U17 World Cup 2023.
He played five games, winning three and losing two.
He scored in a 9-0 win against New Caledonia U17 and led his side to a 2-1 victory over England U17.
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What would he bring to Brighton?
If there is such thing as a perfect Brighton - and Fabian Hürzeler - defender, then Reis is that player.
In terms of style and profile, he is similar to the likes of former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, Benfica's Antonio Silva, and Athletic Bilbao's Yeray.
The Brazilian would slot perfectly into the Seagulls' squad when looking at his general attributes and strengths.
He is an 18-year-old right-footed centre-back who weighs 77 KG and is 6'1" tall.
All his general attributes contribute to his strengths.
Off the ball, he has great pace to make crucial recovery runs.
His height and build help make him brilliant at interceptions, tackling and winning aerial duels.
On the ball, he has a superb passing range and top-level agility.
The combination of these two strengths in particular makes him the perfect Hürzeler centre-back as he is able to carry the ball out from the back and either step into midfield and dribble with it or find that splitting pass to create attacking space and scoring opportunities.
His mental attributes and intelligence also mean he knows where to position himself defensively and who to mark in different situations.
This is something that has been questioned lately of a few Albion players.
If Tony Bloom can get a deal done, then all signs point to Reis being one of the most exciting and highest potential players at the club.
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Where would he fit in?
Usually, when discussing Brighton's squad, focus is placed on how the club are stacked in a particular position, whether that be goalkeeper, midfield or attack.
But one area of the pitch that needs assessing is defence.
Reis is predominantly a centre-back and can play on both sides of a pairing or anywhere in a back three.
According to Transfermarkt, he has played 38 games in total and 24 games as a central defender.
But there are some fixtures where a position has not been specified, so it is likely he has played over 30 games at the heart of defence.
Whatever way you look at it, 30 odd games in any position is not many at all.
But with Brighton's squad having only four senior centre backs - two of whom are injured - it would be no surprise if Reis comes in and takes a starting spot almost immediately.
If you look at each player individually and compare them to Reis and the team's style of play, it points even more to him being a starter.
Van Hecke has been exceptional this season and last, and has cemented his starting place, so Reis will not be replacing him.
Captain Lewis Dunk has been the best at the club for some time, but this season he has struggled in many games due to a variety of factors including the style of play and speed of the game.
He has also picked up a calf injury.
So, Reis looks to be the perfect Dunk replacement when that time comes.
That time may be sooner than anticipated.
Webster has recently returned from injury and while he had fantastic game against Arsenal, it remains to be seen if he can find consistency that he has always struggled to have.
Igor Julio has also had a good start to the season, but his positional awareness has been something that has let him down on numerous occasions.
He has also had to have surgery on his thigh that looks to have put him out for the rest of the season.
All the mentioned players are great in their own right, but Reis has a style and profile that fits the system just that little bit better.
The 18-year-old can also play right-back, which can provide cover when the likes of Joël Veltman, Tariq Lamptey and Ferdi Kadıoğlu are not available.
All have had injury problems this season and last season.
Reis is still very young and inexperienced, so he will have to fight for his place if he is signed.
But with the price tag being mentioned and the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Arsenal being linked to him, it would be a huge surprise if he is brought in as a backup.
Nothing is close yet, but it is a deal that could move very quickly.
