Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a move for Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina as a replacement for outbound Claudio Bravo
According to a report by The Mirror, Napoli are willing to sell Pepe Reina to Manchester City only if they pay a sum of £4.5 million. Manager Pep Guardiola is understood to be keen on the move as he attempts to find a replacement for Claudio Bravo.
Bravo endured quite a tough first season in England following his £14 million transfer from Barcelona. He failed to impress for Manchester City and also lost his No.1 status to Willy Caballero. City’s pursuit of Reina does indicate that they are ready to let Bravo leave since he has been struggling to fit in at the club.
Pepe Reina made 394 appearances for Liverpool over a nine-year period at the club before joining Bayern Munich in 2014. He spent his last season with Liverpool on loan at Napoli. The Italian club then signed him permanently from Bayern in 2015.
Reina went on to establish himself as an ever-present figure for the Italian club. Interestingly, he is likely to not struggle to settle into his life with Manchester City since he has enough Premier League experience by playing for Liverpool. In fact, he has won three consecutive Golden Gloves for the Merseyside club.
If a deal goes through with Manchester City, Reina would become the third keeper to join the club since Guardiola took over last summer.
The 34-year-old is likely to join City as deputy to Guardiola’s new first choice goalkeeper, Ederson Moraes, who signed from Benfica for £34.7 million last month. Thus, an exit from the club seems ideal for Bravo because if he stays, he will be pushed further below the pecking order.
Unlike Bravo, Reina has a lot of experience and that is likely to come in handy as City get ready to tackle Premier League and Champions League commitments next season. Having a quality second-choice keeper will certainly boost the club’s chances of doing well.
Since the deal will certainly end Bravo’s time at the club, City will need to find a new club for the former Barcelona goalkeeper. Joe Hart – another keeper who has endured a topsy-turvy time at City recently – is likely to join West Ham on a loan, leaving a huge void for Reina to fill.
