Liverpool: Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has revealed Arsenal's 20 million Pounds offer for him in 2010 was rejected because the club's then owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, felt the Spaniard's sale was the wrong signal to send to potential buyers.
After winning the World Cup with Spain last summer, Reina returned to Anfield under new boss Roy Hodgson but the club's boardroom fragility was still apparent as Hicks and Gillett sought new owners.
Reina conceded he was willing to settle for a move to Arsene Wenger's side, albeit reluctantly, but insists his transfer was blocked as he was seen as a valuable commodity for any buyer by Hicks and Gillett.
"Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering 20m Pounds, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart," said Reina in his new autobiography.
"When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave."
"The reason I was given was quite different - and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process."
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