Pepe Reina has refused to commit his future to Liverpool, instead insisting “No player can ever say no to anything.”
The goalkeeper, the last of Liverpool’s Spanish contingent following Fernando Torres’ departure in January, has been linked with a summer move to rivals Arsenal or Man United. Reports suggest the former Barcelona stopper has a £20m release clause in his new contract which he signed last year.
Reina told The Guardian “Romance, eternal love, exists in very few cases. And that’s a reality you just have to accept.”
The Reds number 25 told how bids were made for him last summer but he stayed “because I wanted to keep believing in Liverpool.”
Reina hinted that his future lies in the hands of the clubs owners – and whether their ambitions match his personal hopes. “The ambition. It depends, above all, on the ambition of the owners in building a better team; hopefully, they will be generous in their efforts but we know the economic reality. I can’t say very much more to you because I have a contract for five years.”
The 28 year old arrived from Villareal in 2005 and is the club’s third longest serving player after Scouse duo Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. “I’ve shown my commitment over the last six years. I renewed my contract at a very delicate, very difficult, time for the club; maybe the fans didn’t see that, but I wanted to make that gesture. I gave them a chance, renewing my contract and not leaving this summer when I could have done so.”
The full interview took place during last month’s international break but has been somewhat slyly published the day before Liverpool face Man United in the Premier League.
