Glen Johnson

[the wes 7,212]

<h2 class="padding-bottom-7" style="font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.05em;"> </h2>

<h2 style="font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1.05em;" class="padding-bottom-7">Chelsea are edging ahead in the battle to sign Portsmouth full-back Glen Johnson. </h2> Pompey have had offers of around £18million from the Blues, Liverpool and Manchester City, with Bayern Munich and Spurs also showing an interest.

But Fratton Park sources insist Stamford Bridge is the likeliest destination for the 24-year-old England international - and expect a deal to be done this week.

Johnson had four years at Chelsea but started only 35 league games.

He spent the 2006-07 season on loan at Portsmouth before joining them permanently for £4m in the summer of 2007.

The defender signed a four-year deal in January but Pompey executive chairman Peter Storrie revealed: "When he re-signed, Glen asked if one of the big four came in would we stand in his way and I said we couldn't do that."

City could still blow everyone out of the water and are ready to pay Johnson £100,000 a week, making it a toss-up between silverware and cash.

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

I still think he wont want to come back here after getting flogged previously.

Its like you've been sacked and they come crawling back wanting you to work for them again. If I was him I'd tell us to ram it tbh

[EskWeston 696]

I still think he wont want to come back here after getting flogged previously.

Its like you've been sacked and they come crawling back wanting you to work for them again. If I was him I'd tell us to ram it tbh

Different set up now, different manager.

It will all depend on how the move is sold to him. Playing at Chelsea under Ancelotti is not the same as playing at Chelsea under Jose....

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Shows typical basic Chelsea transfer protocal. Sell a player and then try and re-sign them for five times the price you flogged them for.

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

Different set up now, different manager.

It will all depend on how the move is sold to him. Playing at Chelsea under Ancelotti is not the same as playing at Chelsea under Jose....

True, but there must still be something in the back of his head telling him to think twice about a return.

[Dougieboy 0]

16million.. OMFG!

what a waste of money boswinga was then.

this deal just dosent make any business sence what so ever, jesus...

Chelsea dont take business sense into consideration when buying and selling players, they have proven this over the years, but bringing Glen back would be a good addition to the squad. He has improved leaps and bounds since he's left and we shouldnt have let him go in the first place.

[Rambo 1,729]

Unless Bosignwa is going to Bayern in return for Ribery, I don't see why we need this Glen Johnson guy.

[the wes 7,212]

RAFA BENITEZ is on the verge of making Glen Johnson Liverpool’s first summer signing after Chelsea beat a tactical retreat in their chase for the England defender.

Portsmouth are understood to have agreed a fee with Liverpool following more talks yesterday that could eventually reach £18.5 million for one of the Premier League’s most daring full-backs.

Liverpool will offset the outlay by selling Alvaro Arbeloa to Real Madrid for around £8m.

They are also still owed £7m from Portsmouth as part of the deal that took Peter Crouch to Fratton Park last summer.

Johnson, 24, had been the subject of a similar bid from Chelsea, but sources at Stamford Bridge last night indicated that their interest in a player who only left the club two years ago had waned.

Anfield boss Benitez’s long-standing interest in Johnson is thought to have been a major factor in the player indicating he preferred a move to Merseyside.

Manchester City, Tottenham and Bayern Munich had also been keen on Johnson, but the prospect of helping Liverpool push on from last season’s second-place finish in the Premier League appeals.

Despite the size of the fee, it is an indication of the constraints that Benitez is working under that Arbeloa, who began his career at Real Madrid, will be sacrificed to help fund the cash.

Real president Florentino Perez is pursuing other high-profile targets first, among those being Xabi Alonso, because he is aware that a move for Arbeloa will be straightforward.

Benitez is also likely to allow Andrea Dossena to return to Italy after just one season at the club with Juventus interested in a £6m deal.

[Matterz 67]

Why would you want to bring in Johnson for 18 mil and let Arbeloa go for 8 mil when Arbeloa is a better player? But hey if Liverpoo want to go for it then im not complaining.

[crazy1 24]

i dont want to see him at Chelsea again. good player but i think bosingwa is better than him. and we want a left back as a substitute for ashley.

[Kez 2,727]

Looks like he's going to Liverpool. I'm relieved.

Liverpool expect to sign Glen Johnson within the next week after Portsmouth accepted their £18.5m bid for the England right-back and Chelsea withdrew from the race for their former employee. The deal will represent a significant breakthrough in the transfer market for Rafael Benítez, who learned today that Real Madrid's interest in Xabi Alonso has avowedly faded.

Johnson, along with David Silva and Gareth Barry, was a leading target for Benítez this summer and is clear to complete his move to Anfield after Liverpool matched Chelsea's offer for the 24-year-old last night. Though unable to compete financially with Chelsea and Manchester City, who also bid for Johnson, Liverpool are still owed £7m by Portsmouth from the deal that took Peter Crouch to Fratton Park last year. That will be written off as part of the Johnson fee, with Andrea Dossena and possibly Alvaro Arbeloa being sold by Liverpool to swell Benítez's budget beyond a net £20m.

Johnson considered a straight choice between Liverpool and Chelsea after opting against a move to City due to their lack of Champions League football. The England international had indicated to Anfield officials that he favoured a move to Merseyside and that decision became automatic when Chelsea decided against re-signing the player they sold for £4m in 2007. It is believed problems selling Jose Bosingwa may have forced Chelsea's sudden retreat, with the Stamford Bridge club unwilling to add another expensive right-back to their squad without offloading the £16.2m Portugal international.

Johnson's anticipated arrival at Anfield will be a major relief to Benítez following Barry's move to City and the possible repercussions for Alonso, a long-time target for the new Real Madrid ­president, Florentino Pérez, and a player who remains disillusioned with his relationship with the Liverpool manager.

The Anfield club have repeatedly insisted that Alonso is not for sale and, in the absence of any public declaration to the contrary from the player, Real's sporting director, Jorge Valdano, has claimed defeat in attempts to lure the Spain international to the Bernabéu. His interview with Marca, however, may also be an attempt to force Liverpool to lower their asking price for Alonso and part of a protracted strategy to sign the 27-year-old.

"Liverpool have issued an official statement to the public – Xabi is a player who has little chance of joining Real Madrid," said Valdano. "We tried hard to sign him a few years ago. We had a meeting with Real Sociedad but, when I left [Madrid], they lost interest in him."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/ju...pool-portsmouth

[Laylabelle 9,534]

Looks like he's going to Liverpool. I'm relieved.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/ju...pool-portsmouth

For £18.5m same!!Been a complete waste of money and time had we signed him

[ChelseaUSA 0]

maybe im wrong and maybe the rumors of us signing him didnt really have any weight to them, but i think that we "withdrew" from the bidding says we are gonna make a big signing. i think the fact that we arent signing him shows that we wnat to spend that 18.5 somewhere else as part of a bigger deal for a better player like tevez or ribery or someone

[Rambo 1,729]

Great news, Liverpool signed him!

[Wxgba 306]

Why would you want to bring in Johnson for 18 mil and let Arbeloa go for 8 mil when Arbeloa is a better player? But hey if Liverpoo want to go for it then im not complaining.

Do you honestly think that Arbeloa is better than Glen Johnson?