More on the story we brought you yesterday, as Glen Johnson closes in on extending his Liverpool stay…
Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson will turn down a move to Serie A side Roma and will instead sign a new three-year contract at Anfield, reports the Daily Mail.
Johnson is actually Liverpool’s third highest paid player currently, behind Gerrard and Sturridge, and he’s surely agreed to a significant pay-cut in order to stay.
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The move completes a shock u-turn for the England international who looked set to leave the club in either the January transfer window, or at the end of the season when his current deal expires.
It now looks as if the 30-year-old will extend his six-year stay on Merseyside, with manager Brendan Rodgers having supposedly promised Johnson that he remains part of his plans.
Having already lost Steven Gerrard to LA Galaxy and the MLS, Rodgers is determined to keep several of his more experienced players at the club to help develop his younger stars.
He said: “The intention will be to keep everyone – we can’t have three or four leaving next season. Steven will obviously be a loss. When you are losing someone of that calibre of man and player it would be a loss to any club.
“For the younger players to develop their potential they are going to need that seniority around them. You can’t just have a whole group of young players.
“Glen is not the marauding full-back of six or seven years ago but he is still a quality player and he has a lot to offer with his experience. His game will adapt over the next couple of years and we want to keep him.
“Like every player he will want that security and to get it sorted earlier than it is now, but when he looks at it and realises he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world, with a team which is developing and growing, he would want to be a part of that.
“I know the club and his agents spoke towards the beginning of the season and I am hopeful we can find a solution and he will stay.”
Due mainly to injuries, Johnson has been restricted to ten Premier League starts this term, and he’ll do well to get back into the side considering the excellent performances of Lazar Markovic at right wing-back.