Brendan Rodgers confirms Pepe Reina's move to Napoli

Pepe Reina will spend the next season with Napoli

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Pepe Reina is set to spend 2013-14 season at Napoli.

The move comes one month after the Reds signed Simon Mignolet from Sunderland for £9m to provide some competition for Reina, who has been the Liverpool’s longtime starter.

In a press conference at the team hotel, Rodgers said: “It was obviously a difficult decision.

“From last season, really, as a manager I was led to believe that we were going to get an offer for Pepe that would probably see him leave the club.

“On the football side, we have to protect the team, and at that stage we started our search for another goalkeeper.

“That found us Simon Mignolet, who’s top class – one of the top young European goalkeepers.

“As events transpired, that move [for Reina] didn’t happen and it left us with two very good goalkeepers. Both would have been fighting for the No.1 position.

“Then obviously an opportunity arose for Pepe and it was one we felt as a football club was best for him to take.

“As a senior goalkeeper, he needs to be playing. It’s a very important year for him with the World Cup next year. It wouldn’t have served any purpose, both for the club and him personally, if he’d been the one missing out.

“It’s decided he will go to Napoli and we’ve got two very good goalkeepers still at the football club.

“We’ll review it after the loan finishes.”