Aston Villa has been tipped to permanently sign Pepe Reina this summer by Paul Robinson, after a successful loan spell in the west midlands.
With Reina, 37, playing understudy to Tom Heaton, Dean Smith would be confident to go into next season, claimed the former England number one speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs.
Calcio Mercato reported, the Spanish shot-stopper has been offered a two-year contract worth £ 1.8 million per season from Villa.
Last season in the absence of the injured Tom Heaton, Reina made 12 appearances in the Premier League. He still has one year left to run on his existing deal.
Robinson praised the former player in Liverpool and suggested that if signed, he might play a key role behind the scenes at Villa.
“He would be a very astute signing,” he told Football Insider.
When asked last month about his future, Reina said: “I still have a good two years left of my career and that’s what I’m going to try.”
“You can say one thing in football one day, and then you are in some other place the next week.”
