Liverpool Transfer News: Pepe Reina To Barca Exit Talks Squashed
Team Talk. The Spanish shot-stopper has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in recent times since Victor Valdes stated his intentions to leave the Nou Camp at the end of his current contract. Reina angered his manager in February with claims that the club aren't capable of breaking into the top four, and a number of high-profile blunders this season haven't helped his cause either. Reports have claimed his relationship with Rodgers has since become strained, and the Spaniard spoke of his "depression" at being denied a move to Arsenal in 2011, due to the situation surrounding the Red's protracted take-over at the time. Then, Liverpool feared his sale would send out the wrong message to potential future investors over fears the club would collapse under a mountain of debt. But Rodgers said:
"I think a lot of the stuff this year has just been based on the speculation that Valdes is going. "I am counting on him for next season, yes. He's never been unsettled and our relationship is very strong. "Pepe and I speak a lot. He's a good man and I've real respect for him."Reina began his career with Barcelona as a youth team player between 1988 and 1999 and graduated to the 'C' and 'B' teams before making his debut for the senior side in 2000. He was sold to Villarreal two years later, however, before he moved to Anfield in 2005, where he has since made 389 appearances.