Mignolet to rival Reina at Anfield.
Brendan Rodgers has insisted Pepe Reina still has a role to play at Liverpool, despite the imminent arrival of Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet.
The Reds are in talks to bring Belgium international goalkeeper Mignolet to Anfield in a deal worth a reported £9m, throwing Reina’s future on Merseyside into doubt.
The Spaniard has been linked with a return to boyhood club Barcelona but boss Rdogers says he wants more competition for places at the club and stressed that the ‘outstanding’ Reina still had a part to play at Liverpool.
“One of the things we’re trying to build is a competitive squad,” Rodgers told the Daily Express.
“Our squad was very thin last year. It’s very important we have competition in every position and that wasn’t always the case.
“Pepe and I went out for a meal a couple of months before the end of the season and I told him exactly what we were going to do, which was to provide real competition in that area.
“Pepe is a fantastic goalkeeper but Simon Mignolet is a player that has done really well. He’s also part of an emerging Belgium squad that has come into a golden era.
“Pepe is a very committed man and an outstanding goalkeeper.”
Reina, 30, is currently on international duty with Spain but claimed over the weekend he was looking forward to Mignolet’s arrival.
The former Villareal keeper has been with Liverpool since 2005 and has been the number one goalkeeper for his entire spell at the club.
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