Reina reveals Gunners´ bid

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has revealed that the club’s former owners rejected a 20 million-pound bid from Arsenal for his services.

Fresh from winning the FIFA World Cup with Spain in July 2010, Reina returned to Anfield under new boss Roy Hodgson but the club’s boardroom fragility was still apparent as then-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett sought new buyers.

Reina has now revealed that he was willing to settle for a move to Arsene Wenger’s side – albeit reluctantly – but insists that his transfer was blocked as he was seen as a valuable commodity for any buyer by Hicks and Gillett.

“Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering 20 million pounds, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper,” wrote Reina in his new autobiography. “Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.”

“When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave.”

“The reason I was given was quite different – and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.”