A long-term target of Rafa Benitez is apparently nearer than ever to making the move from Manchester to Liverpool…
Mark Hughes’s determination to bring in a stricter regime at Manchester City will place two of his more influential players under scrutiny amid the first concerns within the club about the lifestyle of Michael Johnson and, surprisingly, Elano. Hughes’s early inquiries have led him to believe there is room for improvement with both players.
Johnson, Hughes has learned, has become a familiar face on Manchester’s nightlife scene and, after an impressive breakthrough season under Sven-Goran Eriksson, it is suggested that everything has started to go to his head. If so the England Under-21 midfielder may be in for a rude awakening.
The former Blackburn Rovers manager is unlikely to be impressed that Johnson apparently believes he should be earning £1m-plus a year. City believe a player of 20 should be satisfied with £20,000 a week, but there is a feeling within the club that Johnson and his advisers believe he could earn more elsewhere. With everything added together, well placed sources have indicated that City would give serious thought to selling him if one of his admirers, notably Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, made a £12m bid. (The Guardian)
Regardless of this report and the speculation relating his attitude, Michael Johnson is clearly a talent and surely one that is well worth making a move for. Benitez has been linked with the former Everton schoolboy for over a year now, so maybe its time to put in a bid as the new City manager looks to shake up things at Eastlands. Do Liverpool fans think a bid for the 20-year-old would be a good move?