Pepe Reina will go back to Barcelona!

Why is Courtois the only option? There are plenty of other goal keepers equally or more talented around Europe.

Reina potentially, but I actually think Valdes will end up staying, similar to the Rooney situation

Reina's dad has been pimping his son out to the media and saying Reina would definitely love to go to Barca, I think he'd be Valdes's successor, seeing as he came from Barca's academy too

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"Why is Courtois the only option?"

He's not the only option, but he's been continually linked with them recently; out of the three I listed, Courois is the most attractive option for Barca. He's already very good, and he's at an age which leaves him plenty of room to get better. As a bonus, by acquiring him, Barca would weaken their domestic (AM) and Euro (Chelsea) rivals.

Would be great if Barca get Reina instead, as it would weaken 'pool (hard to see who they could attract that would be better than him) and Barca (relative to their present state, as well as their potential), and it would

Barca wants to keep him but Valdes doesn't want to renew his contract, nobody know why though.

I think they are more keen on Reina than Courtois being that he is their academy boy and all.

(sorry; hit 'send' by accident prior to finishing the post)

... keep Courtois safely out of Barca's grasp, at least for some time.

"Reina WAS an excellent keeper. Not convinced he's still at the level he was. In fact, he definitely isn't."

Agreed. Then again, a move to Barca may rejuvenate him and help him return to form. His slump could just be a matter of motivation.

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"Possibly, but why do Barca need to take that gamble, on a guy who will be 31 in the summer? Better keepers out there who would die for the opportunity to make a move to the Nou Camp."

I can't say whether it's worth it for them, and I'm sure they could do better, if they want to put in the effort. However, that's a good age for a GK (he could have several good seasons left; can't help thinking of James or Friedel when a GK's age is brought up), and depending on how much they would have to spend and what their long-term GK plan would be, Reina may be a viable option. Anyway, any new player is a gamble, and Reina might be less of a gamble than a less experienced keeper; at least with Reina, you know the player's potential, and the challenge is to get him to perform to his capacity.

Valdés hasn't explicitly said why he wants out, but he did say not that long ago that he'd like a taste of football abroad before he retires. Might have nothing to do with it, but I could understand it if the reason for his decision was for his kids to learn other languages. I'm actually surprised that more footballers don't do it. Valdés is basically made for the rest of his life, and now he's got kids, it's time to think about preparing them for the future.

On the Barça GK issue, I can't see them signing Reina. Their style of football requires a keeper with razor-sharp reflexes with good ball-playing skills and who excels in 1-on-1 situations. Not sure about the last 2, but I don't think Reina ticks the first box.

The names of Courtios and De Gea have been thrown around and both seem to fit that mould, but they're deffo not the only ones. The media in Spain have also touted some Swiss keeper - or who at least plays in the Swiss league, for Basel maybe, but can't remember the name.

Regarding Courtois, I reckon Chelsea's best option would be to sell him on - either to Atlético or another club - but including some sort of scheme such as a buyback clause which they could exercise in the next 3-4 seasons or retaining 1st choice and 50% of his transfer rights, which would ensure they could beat any eventual competition for him.

Thanks, itsonlyagame - good info!

Good info kills threads.

"Good info kills threads. "

By evoking good info, a thread has served its purpose.

Glad I could help. I wonder when Barça intend to sign their new keeper and what they're going to do with Valdés.