The goalkeeper has made it clear that he would do whatever it takes to make his former Liverpool team-mate feel at home if the midfielder were to move to the San Paolo

Pepe Reina says that he would welcome Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano with open arms if the Argentine were to join him at Napoli.

The Serie A club are expected to bolster their defensive ranks in January, with Mascherano reportedly one of the names on a shortlist that is thought to also include Liverpool pair Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.

Reina has been a key player at Napoli since joining on loan from Liverpool at the start of the season and he hopes to see the squad boosted in the upcoming transfer window with the arrival of his former Anfield colleague.

“I do keep in contact with Mascherano,” Reina told Radio Kiss Kiss. “He’s a lovely guy with a winning mentality; a real gladiator.

“Now he plays for Barca and I cannot say more than that, but if he wants to come then I can give him a hand.

“It is difficult to talk about Agger and Skrtel, as I don’t want to say anything that could hurt the Liverpool fans. They are among the best in Europe, so of course they could play for Napoli. Why not?”

Mascherano, 29, has a contract with Barca that runs until June 2016.