UK Edition
Manchester City close to deal for former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina as Claudio Bravo risks being left in limbo
Manchester City are closing in on a deal for former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina as Claudio Bravo risks being left in limbo unless he manages to secure a move away from the Etihad Stadium.
City have had a £2.6 million bid for Reina rejected by Napoli, who want £4.4 million for the 34-year-old, but there is an expectation an agreement will be reached in the coming days.
Reina made 394 appearances for Liverpool over a nine year period at the club before joining Bayern Munich in 2014 after spending his last season at Anfield on loan at Napoli. The Italian club then signed him permanently from Bayern in 2015.
Reina would join City as deputy to new first choice goalkeeper, Ederson Moraes, who signed from Benfica for £34.7 million last month, and push Bravo nearer towards the exit door. Bravo was not among the City squad that flew to Houston on Monday for the start of their pre-season tour of the US but that was due to his involvement in the Confederations Cup with Chile this summer.
City will listen to offers for Bravo but risk being stuck with the former Barcelona goalkeeper if he fails to find a new club as the Chilean prepares to go from first choice to third choice in the space of 12 calamitous months.
Bravo was signed from Barcelona for an initial £13.75 million last summer as Joe Hart’s replacement but he endured a torrid debut season in the Premier League and lost his place to Willy Caballero as Guardiola came to accept he had erred by signing the 34-year-old.
City had explored invoking a buy-back option for Real Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and the possibility of bringing him in as Ederson’s deputy but he wanted more regularly playing time in order to boost his prospects of going to next year’s World Cup finals with Argentina.
Rulli could now join Napoli as a replacement for Reina as he nears a move to City. Hart, meanwhile, is about to complete a loan move to West Ham United in what has been a goalkeeping merry-go-round at City.
Fernando did not fly with City’s squad to the US as the midfielder closes in on a move to Galatasaray but Samir Nasri, who faces an uncertain future as the midfielder awaits the results of an anti-doping investigation, did join the travelling party. Yaya Toure, Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane were travelling separately to the US due to logistical reasons, according to City officials.
Meanwhile, new signing Douglas Luiz, a Brazil Under-20 midfielder, as well as Spaniards Aleix Garcia and Pablo Maffeo are in Girona on the brink of loan moves to City’s sister club in Spain.