Newcastle United and Manchester City are linked with the Spaniard.
Shaka Hislop has told ESPN that Pepe Reina is better suited to Newcastle United than he would be Manchester City.
Both English sides have been linked with a move for the Napoli goalkeeper who, according to The Chronicle, has rejected a contract extension to stay with the Serie A outfit.
Speculation is rife that he could leave, and The Chronicle also report that Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez – who worked with the 34-year-old at Liverpool and Napoli – would love to have the Spanish stopper at St James’s Park with him.
The Express reported last week that Manchester City were also interested, but Hislop, who spent three years as the Magpies’ number-one keeper in the 90s, says that Newcastle would be an “easier fit” for Reina.
“I’ve been very critical of Guardiola and how he uses his goalkeepers over the course of the year,” he told ESPN.
“I think he’s been asking his goalkeepers to change their natural style a little bit too much. I’m going to put this down as a miss for one reason: Newcastle and Rafa Benitez are back in the Premier League. They’re also linked with Pepe Reina and I think that’s an easier fit.”
Karl Darlow was United’s keeper last season, displacing Matz Sels early in the campaign and helping Benitez’s side win promotion en route to the Championship title.
But the Spanish manager also has Tim Krul and Rob Elliot, though Reina would arguably represent a big upgrade on all four of Benitez’s current options.
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