RAFAEL BENITEZ has confirmed his interest in Pepe Reina, and is keen to make the former Liverpool shot-stopper his number one as he prepares for a radical overhaul of Newcastle United’s goalkeeping department.

Reina is unhappy at his current employers, Napoli, and is keen to move on this summer despite having made 37 Serie A appearances as the Italians finished in third position to secure qualification for the Champions League.

His desire to leave Naples was strengthened last month when a senior club director became involved in a social media row with his wife, and Benitez is keen to exploit the situation by persuading the 34-year-old to move to St James’ Park.

The Magpies manager worked with Reina at Liverpool - the Spanish goalkeeper spent nine years at Anfield – and the pair were reunited in the shot-stopper’s first spell at Napoli, when he was on loan in the 2013-14 season.

IN DEMAND: Pepe Reina, pictured his time at Liverpool

Benitez is keen to make Reina his number one goalkeeper next season, and will hope to pull off a deal for around £4m, with the veteran about to enter the final 12 months of his current deal at Napoli.

“I have a great personal relationship with Reina,” said Benitez, who has been told he can spend around £80m this summer. “He’s a great goalkeeper.

“Pepe is a great player, but above all, a leader in the dressing room. We missed him at Napoli in the year he went to Bayern Munich – he can make a difference both on and off the pitch.

“Would I take him to Newcastle if he left? I respect Napoli, as that’s where he is, and our club has a lot of goalkeepers who are doing well. We need to be calm, we’ll talk to the club and decide on our targets.”

Mike Ashley has previously been reluctant to sign players in their 30s, but the Magpies owner accepts that goalkeeper is a unique position and is willing to back Benitez’s attempts to bring in an experienced shot-stopper.

Newcastle’s goalkeeping department is set for a major summer overhaul, with Tim Krul, Karl Darlow and Matz Sels all likely to depart before the start of next season.

Krul completed his loan spell at AZ Alkmaar last weekend, and has spoken of his desire to return to Tyneside for the final year of his current contract.

However, Benitez effectively drew a line under Krul’s Newcastle career when he sent him on loan to Holland last summer and will look to sell him permanently this summer rather than lose him as a free agent in 12 months’ time.

ON HIS WAY OUT: Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul

Sels joined Newcastle in a £4.5m move from Gent last summer, but was dropped from the first team after a series of shaky displays at the start of last season. The Newcastle hierarchy will be keen to recoup as much of last year’s outlay as possible, but Benitez does not see the Belgian, who has just received a surprise international recall, having a long-term future on Tyneside.

The same is true of Darlow, even though the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper started 34 successive league games last season.

Tellingly, Darlow was dropped for the final three matches, with Rob Elliot taking his place, and errors such as the ones that proved costly against Bristol City and Norwich last term appear to have convinced Benitez that the 26-year-old is not cut out for life in the Premier League.

Elliot is set to be Newcastle’s number two goalkeeper next season, with Freddie Woodman still regarded as an exciting long-term prospect who is not yet ready for regular first-team action.

Elliot is currently on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, although he has not travelled to the United States with Martin O’Neill’s squad because of ongoing concerns over his knee.

The 31-year-old suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty with Ireland in March 2016, and while he was fit enough to return to action in the final three games of the season, he continues to feel some pain in knee joint.

Ireland’s medical staff recommended he did not travel to the US for Friday’s friendly with Mexico, but O’Neill remains hopeful he will be available for next week’s World Cup qualifier with Austria.

“Robbie Elliot played the last couple of games for Newcastle, but is still feeling the injury,” said the Ireland boss. “We’ll assess that during the next couple of days, so we’ll just have the two goalkeepers (Darren Randolph and Keiren Westwood) coming with us.”