After Liverpool, where next for Pepe Reina?

Liverpool are on the verge of signing Simon Mignolet from Sunderland for £11m, and that means that Pepe Reina will be rooted to the bench. He can’t afford that, and Liverpool can’t afford that. There are only three spots in the Spain World Cup squad and with David De Gea trying to force his way in to the Casillas, Valdes, Reina congestion, it’s vital that the Liverpool man is a starter. For Liverpool, having a £90k a week second choice goalkeeper doesn’t fit their financial strategy in any way and they could get something in the £5-8m region for him. He’ll be a wanted man, so here are the best options for him.

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Barcelona

Why would they sign him?

Victor Valdes has announced that he is leaving the club at the end of his contract which expires in June 2014. As such, Barcelona need to replace him, and some fans would argue, to upgrade on him. Barcelona need a keeper who is able to distribute the ball effectively. With the new addition of Neymar, this no longer means passing it 10 yards to Xavi, but he needs to be able to find Neymar’s clever runs over a longer range. He has that ability and showed it with Torres and Suarez at Liverpool. Barcelona don’t concede many shots on goal so they need a keeper who can concentrate and Reina has that ability. He could do with a fresh start.

Will it happen?

5/10 – Of these five options Reina probably isn’t first choice as they seem to be zeroing in on young German Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen. With Valdes still in place, they may not feel any rush to get it done.