Benitez Looks to Raid Liverpool Once Again With €12m Deal for Defender – Report

Napoli manager Rafa Benitez is determined to reunite goalkeeper Pepe Reina with former Liverpool teammate Martin Skrtel as he looks to convince the Premier League club to part with the Slovakian defender.

The former Liverpool manager was able to land Reina on a season long loan and it seems he is keen to strike a similar deal for Skrtel who fell out of favour during the second half of last season.

Italian publications Tutto Sport and SportMediaSet are both reporting that Napoli are prepared to offer a €2m loan fee, with an option to sign the defender on a permanent contract for €10m next summer.

The Italian side are willing to offer Skrtel wages of around €3m-a-year as they attempt to persuade the centre-back to once again link up with Reina and Benitez.

It was Benitez that brought Skrtel to Liverpool back in the summer of 2007, with the 28 year old becoming a regular starter under the Spaniard.

Skrtel would remain a vital member of the first team under Benitez but last season struggled to convince Brendan Rodgers that he deserved a starting berth alongside Daniel Agger as Jamie Carragher was preferred.

Even with Carragher no longer at the Merseyside club, Skrtel may be concerned that Kolo Toure could be handed a starting role next season and that he will once again be forced to remain on the substitutes bench.

Napoli have already shown their buying power this summer, signing Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain and Raul Albiol from Real Madrid, while Dries Mertens moved from PSV Eindhoven.

Porto striker Jackson Martinez is also believed to be close to a move to the side that finished second in the table last season to secure Champions League football.

Having sold Edinson Cavani for €64.5m to Paris Saint-Germain, Benitez has been keen to address problems in the squad and is using the money to strengthen various areas of the side.

While Albiol has already been signed to strengthen the defence, it seems he wants Skrtel to partner the Spaniard next season in what would be a new look central partnership.

Much will depend on whether Liverpool feel they can find an adequate replacement for Skrtel and if they wish to remove the relatively high earner from the wage bill.