Pepe Reina Thrilled with Barcelona Transfer Rumours

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is delighted with interest from Barcelona despite the club being slapped with a transfer ban by Fifia.

Reina is currently on a season-long loan at Napoli from the Reds but manager Brendan Rodgers has ruled out the 31 year old returning at the end of the campaign after an acrimonious end to his spell on Merseyside.

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis wants Reina to remain in Serie A beyond the end of the season, but the Spanish international has his heart set on a return to Barcelona, where his professional career began before making his name at Liverpool.

"It pleases me that they're speaking of me as a possible Barcelona goalkeeper, but now it's difficult to speak about what will happen," Reina told Onda Cero.

"I'm happy at Napoli. We're facing the end of the season trying to reach second place, even if now it will be difficult. But we will not let up.

"Obviously, there's also the final of the Coppa Italia, which we have so much desire to win."

Upon joining Napoli on a season-long loan following the addition of Simon Mignolet at Liverpool, Reina criticised the club for not allowing him to complete a dream return to Barcelona.

Victor Valdes was expected to leave Barcelona at the end of the season but the combination of a cruciate knee ligament injury and the Catalans being handed a year-long transfer embargo by Fifa throws his future into doubt.

Though Barcelona are expected to appeal – thus delaying the punishment – the club could be prevented from signing new players this summer with deals for Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Alen Halilovic currently up in the air.

The addition of Ter Stegen means Reina would move to the Nou Camp as the No.2 in the Barcelona first team should the club be permitted to sign players and it is yet unknown whether the Liverpool stopper would sacrifice first-team football at Napoli in order to return to the Catalans.