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The papers may believe Barcelona are currently working to bring Pepe Reina back to Catalonia as Victor Valdes' replacement, but if they are, they haven't let Pepe Reina or his agent know. And given it's the sort of thing Reina might reasonably be assumed to have heard about, those hoping to see the Spaniard stay can today breathe a little easier.
With rumours continuing to swirl, the Liverpool 'keeper once again insisted he's perfectly happy at Anfield—and that to the best of his knowledge all this Barcelona chatter is nothing more than baseless speculation linking him to the club whose academy he graduated from.
"I have three more years with Liverpool," said Reina when asked about his current situation by Spanish radio network Cadena SER. "I’m satisfied, comfortable, and my family are very happy. Rumours are difficult to control but it’s flattering when a club like Barça is interested in you.
"I don’t know if there has been contact between the clubs or with my agent. At the moment I don’t think there’s anything serious. I don’t know how long I’ve got left in football, what I do know is I want to enjoy what remains and feel appreciated—and at Liverpool I have that."
Reina may have started the 2012-13 season in shaky form, his struggles at times fueling speculation the club would seek to replace him or that he would seek new surroundings, but both player and club have continued to insist his future remains at Anfield. Now, a strong second half to the season has been enough to mostly put to rest the more general speculation concerning a potential departure for Reina.
It hasn't, though, been enough to put to rest the Barcelona rumours. Even Reina once again stating that he's happy and settled at his current club and that he's heard nothing to suggest a move to Barcelona is being worked on may not be enough to sate the rumour mongering beast as the transfer window approaches, but for fans at least it should provide slight assurance.
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