Apparently the club is very close to securing top notch signing.

The Rumour

ENGLAND V ANDORRA

Rafa Benitez will step up his efforts to finance a deal for Glen Johnson over the weekend and hopes to unveil the England right back as his first summer signing in the next few days.

Manchester City and Bayern Munich have enquired about Johnson, but Chelsea are Liverpool’s chief rivals for his signature after having a £17million bid accepted by Portsmouth, as revealed in Sportsmail last week.

However, Benitez remains confident of seeing off the 24-year-old’s former club after it emerged that Anfield would be his preferred destination.

Raising the necessary finance appears to be the Liverpool manager’s main stumbling block, but it is understood he is ready to utilise an outstanding amount from Peter Crouch’s move to Portsmouth – thought to be around £7million – to top up his available funds and match Chelsea’s £17million offer.

That should be enough to push a deal through for a player who has become Benitez’s No 1 target in recent weeks.

The Source: (Daily Mail)

The Analysis

This report appears to believe that Glen Johnson is only a hop skip and a jump from being a Liverpool player but I think they may be getting carried away with themselves. Rafa clearly does want the former Chelsea and West Ham man but there are other interested parties to consider.

The fact that Pompey do still owe the club some money is a very useful bonus for Benitez and I am a big fan of Johnson’s and he will clearly be looking to get a move back into the big time as he looks to cement his place as England’s first choice right back.

This move would also appear to tie in with the potential departure of Alvaro Arbeloa to Real Madrid which is doing the rounds today.

The Likelihood

Johnson to Liverpool: A distinct possibility.

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