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."