Pepe Reina set to return to Spanish football by joining Villarreal on one-year deal

Pepe Reina is set to join Villarreal on a one-year deal according to Fabrizio Romano. The Spaniard has just seen his contract with Italian club Lazio expire and is ready to return to La Liga. It’s understood Lazio will move for Luis Maximiano to replace him.

Reina, 39, was born and raised in Madrid but came through the youth system at Barcelona. He broke into the first team setup there in 2000 but departed for Villarreal in 2002, spending three years there before joining Liverpool, spending nine seasons there inclusive of a season out on loan with Serie A side Napoli.

Reina then spent a season with Bayern Munich before a two-year stint with Milan, the second of which spent on loan in the Premier League with Aston Villa. He joined Lazio in 2020. A Spanish international, he earned 36 caps between 2005 and 2017.

Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga last season to qualify for a place in this season’s Europa Conference League, although they managed to make it to the semi-final of last term’s Champions League. They’ll hope to improve their domestic form this year.

Tags Pepe Reina Villarreal
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