Arsenal
Arsenal Lining-Up Surprise Swoop On Liverpool
Arsenal are ready to make a surprise move for out-of-favour Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina after his proposed move to Napoli fell through, according to reports
As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal are linked with a move for Pepe Reina.
Image: Express
Arsenal are ready to make a surprise move for out-of-favour Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina after his proposed move to Napoli fell through, according to reports today.
The Spanish intentional was a mainstay in the Liverpool goal during an eight-year spell between 2005-2013 but lost his place in the first team when Brendan Rodgers signed Simon Mignolet last summer.
Reina was subsequently loaned out to Napoli where he linked up with former Reds boss Rafa Benitez and helped the club lift the Coppa Italia with a 3-1 win over Fiorentina last month.
Benitez was keen to make the switch permanent but Reina’s agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, has revealed that the goalkeeper is set to return to Anfield as Napoli bosses are unwilling to meet the Merseysiders asking price.
“It’s very difficult for Pepe to remain here [Napoli]. From June 30, he will return to Liverpool because they want to maximise his sale, and Napoli are not willing to spend what is required.” Quilon is quoted as saying by the Express.
With Reina unlikely to dislodge Mignolet next season, he’s expected to look for a new club and he could be offered the chance to remain in the Premier League with the Express claiming that Arsenal are now lining-up a surprise move.
The Gunners have been linked with Reina in the past and the 31-year-old revealed how he almost moved to north London back in 2010 before the deal was blocked by club owners at the last minute.
It appears Arsene Wenger is now ready to renew his interest in the Spaniard as he looks for a replacement for Lukasz Fabianski – who is set to leave on a free transfer this summer – but it remains to be seen whether the Arsenal boss sees Reina as his new No.1 or simply as an understudy to Wojciech Szczesny next season.
The newspaper suggests that although Rodgers would be reluctant to sell the stopper to a direct rival, he would sanction the deal if the price was right, so it will all come down to whether the Gunners are prepared to match Liverpool’s valuation.
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Wenger is expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer and although a new goalkeeper is required to offer competition to Szczesny, I can’t see the Frenchman paying over the odds for Reina when he has so many other positions to strengthen.
If Arsenal are going to compete for the title they need to sign a world class striker, a defensive midfielder and a top quality replacement for Bacary Sagna, so I don’t think Wenger will use too much of his budget to sign Reina when he has more pressing problems to address.
