Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has quickly played down reports of an impending move to Barcelona as the replacement for Victor Valdes.
Barca are in the hunt for a new goalkeeper after Valdes said he would not be signing a new contract with the Catalans as the Spanish international looks for a new challenge overseas.
"I was surprised (with the decision) because Victor is with the best team in the world," Reina told MoviStar.
That has led to speculation of Reina being seen as a perfect replacement, with even a possible swap deal mooted with Valdes, who has been linked with Liverpool for a while, going the other way to Anfield.
A move for Reina to the Camp Nou looked even more likely when his father said his son would love to go back to the club where his career started.
However, the 31-year-old, who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal in the summer, committed his future to Liverpool, where he is contracted until 2016.
"When I sign a contract I fulfil it and I have signed with Liverpool until 2016," Reina added.
"Barcelona is the best club in the world. I know what it means because I trained there as a player and as a person."
if Barcelona, were to make a move though, a swap deal makes the most sense, although Brendan Rodgers might have to convince Valdes to move to Anfield, with the likes of Manchester United also reportedly interested.
Reina has not been in the best of form this season, and was at fault for Manchester City's second goal scored by Sergio Aguero in the 2-2 draw, when he came out of his goalposts to try and stop the forward, which in turn left an open goal allowing the Argentine to score brilliantly from a narrow angle.
The Liverpool shotstopper, though, feels he has been unfairly criticized with injuries also playing a role in his loss of form.
"It's been a strange season for me because I've missed lots of games with injury," Reina said.
"Some people say I've had a bad season, but honestly I think I only had three poor matches, at the beginning of the year.
"This has been the most unsettled season, both personally and as a team, since I joined the club.
"Liverpool is going through a transitional period, with new ideas and a different playing philosophy. That takes time. People have to be patient. It's normal for us to be erratic."
Reina also believes Liverpool are currently not capable of competing with the title contenders. "Right now we can't compete with the big guns," he added. "They have a big edge over us at the moment, both financially and squad-wise.
"There's a reason they are so many points ahead of us, and it's not because of one or two better players."
