Manchester City make £2.5m bid for Napoli’s Pepe Reina• Spanish goalkeeper seen as experienced deputy to Ederson
• Reina’s arrival would end Claudio Bravo’s torrid time at City
Manchester City want to buy Napoli’s Pepe Reina in a transfer which, if successful, would mean the end of Claudio Bravo’s torrid time at the club.
City are understood to have made an initial bid of around £2.5m for the 34-year-old, who spent nine years at Liverpool, and has also played for Barcelona, Villlarreal, and Bayern Munich. He would offer Pep Guardiola, the City manager, vast experience.
If Reina does arrive it means Bravo’s troubled City career will end after only a season. It will also pose further questions of the judgment of Guardiola regarding goalkeepers. When taking over as head coach last summer the Catalan decided Joe Hart, the incumbent No1, was not good enough . This led to Bravo’s recruitment and Hart going on a season-long loan to Torino.
The Chilean proved a disastrous choice, making a series of errors that directly led to City dropping crucial points. Earlier in the close season, Guardiola acknowledged his mistake by buying Ederson from Benfica for £34.69m to be his new first-choice.
Given Reina played more than 250 times in the Premier League for Liverpool, helping the club capture the FA Cup in 2006 and come close to winning the Premier League title three years later, Guardiola may allow him a chance to challenge Ederson for the starting berth. It is believed Napoli will listen to an offer closer to £4.5m for Reina, who joined the Italian club, initially on loan, in 2013.
Hart, meanwhile, is close to a move to West Ham United after taking a medical with the east London club on Monday. The England goalkeeper is set to join on a season-long loan deal.
City arrived in Houston on Monday for the start of their summer tour of America. Guardiola’s side face Manchester United on Thursday in a International Champions Cup fixture. Bravo was not with the squad but this is because he is on holiday following Chile’s Confederation Cup campaign.
The Manchester derby takes places at the NRG Stadium and will be the first to be staged overseas. City and United should have played each other in China last summer in a friendly. However the unreliable nature of the pitch at Beijing’s National Stadium led to the game’s cancellation.
Guardiola’s squad for their three-match tour includes Samir Nasri , Eliaquim Mangala and Jason Denayer , despite all appearing to have no future at City under the manager. Wilfried Bony , who is in the same category, was left behind, as was Fernando, the Portuguese midfielder.
Kelechi Iheancho, the striker who may leave for Leicester City, did not travel to Houston, either. Leroy Sane and Yaya Touré were also not with the main party but are expected to arrive separately while Bernardo Silva, the £43.6m purchase from Monaco, is on a break, too, following Portugal’s participation in the Confederations Cup.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/17/manchester-city-make-bid-for-napoli-pepe-reina-claudio-bravo?CMP=share_btn_tw有bid先
