Chelsea are on the verge of signing goalkeeper Pepe Reina from AC Milan in a shock £9million deal, according to the Sun.
The transfer would come as a major shock as it comes just days after he was unveiled as an AC Milan player after he arrived on a free transfer from Napoli.
New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has reportedly made a bid to sign the 35-year-old keeper.
Sarri and Reina worked together previously at Napoli, and the Sun claim that Reina wants to hook up with his former manager again.
Chelsea are hoping to tempt him to London with the offer of a coaching role when he retires from playing.
Good move for Chelsea?
Chelsea might need a keeper if Thibaut Courtois moves on this summer, as seems likely, and have been linked with everyone from Alisson, Petr Cech and Kasper Schmeichel. Reina is the latest one and he does have links with Sarri from Napoli. But he would only be a short-term solution at the age of 35. He has got a massive amount of experience – he’s won the World Cup and the Euros twice with Spain – and could still do a job in the Premier League, but with Liverpool spending a reported £65million on Alisson, Reina isn’t going to impress the Chelsea fans much. And paying £9million for him so soon after Milan picked him up on a free doesn’t look like smart business. Schmeichel would be the one for us. This could be his last shot at moving to a major club and at 31 he still has a good few years left in him. The trouble is, he won’t come cheap.
This is Futbol Rating: 6/10
Likely to Happen?
This would be one of the summer’s strangest transfers. If Milan do sell him to Chelsea for £9million it will be one of the quickest profits ever recorded. Stranger things have happened in football, although not many.
This is Futbol Rating: 4/10