Saga over: Pepe Reina is off to Bayern Munich

Here's another transfer saga to set aside as so much wind: Pepe Reina will not be returning to Napoli, and appears to be heading to Germany and Bayern Munich:

Liverpool have accepted an offer from Bayern Munich for Pepe Reina.

— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarretTimes) August 5, 2014

The offer from has been reported as being for some €3 million, a pittance in comparison to what Reina was worth just a few years ago. In point of fact, it's also well less than the pre-arranged fee Napoli would have paid if they had purchased Reina at the end of his loan. The Spaniard's poor form for much of the past season cost Liverpool dearly. Obviously Reina still has to sign personal terms, but indications in the press are that he's eager to get a deal signed with Bayern as soon as possible in order to get out of Liverpool.

It's a bit of an odd move from Bayern. Reina is clearly the backup to Manuel Neuer, but his wages are immense for a backup keeper who, at the very outside, will play in 10 matches, maybe 15 at the absolute most barring a major injury to Neuer. It's also odd that, at 31, Reina would choose to go be a backup in Munich and risk his spot in the Spanish national team rather than push to be a starter elsewhere.

No matter what, however, Napoli are in good hands with Rafael Cabral. On form, he was easily the superior keeper when he went down with injury, and looks to have not missed a beat so far in preseason. We can safely close the book on Reina's Napoli career without concern for the future.