LIVERPOOL have agreed an £8million deal to bring Villarreal keeper Jose Reina to Anfield this summer, according to reports in Spain last night.
The highly-rated 22-year-old is under contract at Champions League-chasing Villarreal until 2012.
But Liverpool have matched the £8m release clause in his contract and Reina is expected to sign a three-year deal with a one-year option at the end of this campaign.
Reina has played a key role in Villarreal's outstanding season and has attracted interest from Manchester United.
The stopper, who shares the same agent as Rafael Benitez and Luis Garcia, admitted recently: "Everyone would be excited at the chance of playing for a big club. Liverpool are building an important project looking to the long term rather than the short term."
Reina will double his wages at Anfield, but his arrival could signal the end of Jerzy Dudek's career at Liverpool.
Dudek's former club Feyenoord are interested in taking him back to Holland and Benitez is unlikely to stand in his way once the Reina deal is finalised.