Arsenal and Real Madrid are reportedly stepping up their interest in Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis.
The Gunners and Los Blancos currently possess two of the most formidable backlines in world football, with there being an argument that their respective centre-back partnerships sit at the top of that list.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have generally been the standout pair in the Premier League, while Antonio Rudiger alongside Eder Militao has helped bring success to the Bernabeu.
However, their respective hierarchies will have to give consideration to alternatives as the years pass by, either through players potentially wanting to take on other challenges or their ages.
There are a wide array of options already competing in Europe, but acquiring talent from the South American market has become an increasingly popular avenue.
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Interest growing in Reis
As per The Athletic, both Arsenal and Real Madrid have made what are described as 'initial enquiries' for Reis.
Despite being just 18 years of age, the teenager has already made 15 appearances for a team that has established themselves as Brazilian football's best club in recent seasons.
During the summer, Reis made five successive starts for Palmeiras but a muscle injury has led to his outings become far less frequent of late.
A contract is in place until the end of 2028, Palmeiras already making the move to insert a €100m (£83.3m) release clause in his deal.
The report adds that there is no desire to cash in on Reis before they participate in the 2025 Club World Cup in the summer.
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Who else are monitoring the situation?
Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are all said to be admirers of Reis and could plausibly make an approach to rival the Gunners and Los Blancos.
Of the three, Chelsea's should perhaps be regarded as most notable given that they have held negotiations with their Palmeiras counterparts most recently.
Star man Estevao Willian is already on his way to Stamford Bridge next summer in a £51m deal, yet co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are highly unlikely to sign a centre-back of the age of Reis for that kind of money.
Liverpool will eventually require a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, although Barcelona are not in a financial position to sign Reis for the release clause mentioned.
Darren Plant
