Pepe Reina Wants AC Milan Stay Amid Chelsea Transfer Rumours

AC Milan goalkeeper Pepe Reina has said he wants to stay at the club for a long time amid speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Tom Coast of Sport Witness), the Blues want to sign the veteran stopper, with Milan ready to accept an offer between £5.33 million and £8.88 million for a player they landed on a free transfer this summer.

However, speaking after Milan's 1-1 draw in pre-season against Manchester United on Wednesday (United won 9-8 on penalties), Reina said he wants to stay with the San Siro side for a while yet.

"I have been lucky enough to play for great teams in my career, and Milan is definitely one of the most important," he said, per Football Italia. "I am happy and honoured to wear this shirt and to have played in my first match. I want to play at least 150 matches in this shirt."

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Chelsea's links with Reina aren't a massive surprise, as the Spain international was a key part of Maurizio Sarri's success at Napoli. 

The Blues appear set for a change of goalkeeper this summer. Simon Jones of MailOnline recently reported that Real Madrid have agreed terms with the Blues' starter between the sticks, Thibaut Courtois.

While he's coming towards the end of his career, Reina still remains a high-class performer and showed during his time with Napoli last season he is an ideal fit for the way in which Sarri likes his side to play football.

The 35-year-old was quick to distribute possession last season, allowing Napoli to build from the back quickly through the likes of Jorginho, who has followed Sarri from the Stadio San Paolo to Stamford Bridge.

Reina has also proved himself as a tough man to beat and has become accustomed to keeping clean sheets in Italy:

The Spaniard also has experience in the Premier League, having spent nine years with Liverpool before moving to Bayern Munich in 2014.

During his time with the Reds, he became a fan favourite with his displays of agility and ability to set the team on counter-attacks with his pinpoint passes forward. Reina was in goal for many of the battles Liverpool and Chelsea had between 2005 and 2009 too, most notably in the UEFA Champions League.

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Even so, it's not an acquisition that's likely to get pulses racing at Chelsea, especially if they are losing someone of the calibre of Courtois. The Belgium international has been a rock-solid presence for the Blues in his four years as a starter.

As journalist Lucas Navarrete noted, Courtois' arrival at Madrid would improve the European champions:

Milan do have another fine goalkeeper to call upon in Gianluigi Donnarumma, so the chance to make a quick profit on Reina may be appealing.

Still, the player doesn't appear keen on leaving Italy, and Chelsea supporters will surely want to see a bigger name come in if Courtois does depart Stamford Bridge for the Spanish capital.