Is the Newcastle United boss going to sign Pepe Reina for a third time? For the Magpies sake, hopefully not.
The report adds that Napoli are looking for around £10 million for the Spanish goalkeeper, who would command wages in the region of £100,000 per week.
Newcastle haven’t signed anybody yet in what is shaping up to be yet another disastrous transfer window for the Magpies, but surely Benitez would make things a lot worse by paying those figures to sign Reina this month.
Nobody doubts Reina’s pedigree and his time with Liverpool has proven that he is a very talented goalkeeper.
That being said, Reina, signed on two previous occasions by Benitez, turns 36 in August and it would be nothing short of madness for cash-strapped Newcastle to waste what might be their entire budget – because the manager still doesn’t know it – on the veteran.
At best, he can only have around two good years in him before it’s time for Benitez – or whoever the manager is then – to phase him out and either sign someone else or start bringing in Freddie Woodman.
In addition to the £10 million transfer fee, two years of Reina, at £100,000 per week, also equates to £10 million in wages and there’s no way that the Magpies boss can justify costing the North-East club £20 million.
Staying in the Premier League is hugely lucrative for United and although they certainly need a new goalkeeper, they need a striker more.
They aren’t three points above the relegation zone because of Rob Elliot or Karl Darlow – it’s because they’ve only scored 21 goals in 23 games this season and if Benitez does have that sort of money and wage allowance, most of it has to go on a hitman.
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