Rafa Benitez wants to reunite with Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina at Newcastle in a £4million deal, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper states that the 34-time capped Spain international is unhappy in Naples despite being the club’s first choice stopper last season, helping them to a third place finish and Champions League qualification.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper’s current deal at the Serie A club is also set to expire next summer and the Mirror details that Benitez believes he can capitalise on the situation to persuade his old club to sell him a player he has also worked with before.
Benitez first worked with Reina in 2005, bringing him to Liverpool from Spanish club Villarreal and the two worked at the Merseyside giants together for five years.
They then worked with each other once more at Napoli with the current Magpies boss taking him to Italy on loan in 2013 before signing him permanently in 2015.
Now, the Newcastle manager could be on the search for a new stopper this summer after the club’s promotion back to the Premier League with last year’s goalkeeper signing Matz Sels struggling in England, while Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot can also be improved upon.
Reina was one of the stars in an impressive Napoli side in the last campaign, playing in 37 Serie A matches in total, keeping 12 clean sheets, while conceding just 38 and he would certainly be a smart purchase for Newcastle.