Liverpool defender Johnson set for move to foreign club

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has no idea where he will be next season but it appears increasingly likely he will move overseas as his representatives have already held exploratory talks with foreign clubs.

The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer and negotiations over a new deal stalled at the beginning of the season and have never got going again.

In January manager Brendan Rodgers said he was hopeful a solution could be found to keep the England international but with Johnson having lost his first-team place in the 3-4-2-1 formation which has been so successful since the turn of the year that now looks less likely.

He has long been linked with a move abroad – he has been free to talk to overseas clubs since January 1 – and the defender admits there have been discussions.

Asked about his contract situation with Liverpool Johnson said: “No talks. At this point I have no idea (where I will be next season). I haven’t thought about it.”

On his option to explore a move overseas he added: “There are talks. It would be great for the kids to go abroad but I am not thinking about yet as we have two months left here and I’ll think about it after that.”

Ironically Johnson made his first start in 12 matches in Sunday’s goalless FA Cup quarter-final draw at home to mid-tabled SkyBet Championship Blackburn.

The team’s performance was so alien to what fans have become accustomed to seeing since the turn of the year there were understandably some grumbles at Anfield but Johnson said it is inevitable players will be criticised when they fail to reach the high standards they have set themselves.

Liverpool defender Kolo Toure also admits he has a difficult decision to make about his future.

The Ivory Coast international’s current deal expires this summer and while there have been talks over extending his stay, nothing has yet materialised.

Toure, 34 later this month, remains hopeful an offer will be forthcoming but even if it is he has a tough choice to make as to whether to stay on in the knowledge he will only be a squad player or to make the most of his remaining time in the game by looking for regular football elsewhere.

“We are still talking to the club. We will see in a few days. The club have to think and I have to think,” he said.

“It is a big decision and that is why I need to think very hard and take a decision and stick with it.

“It is very important to know what you are facing. I need to do the right thing for me and my family.”

Whether Toure ultimately stays on as a player at Liverpool or not he has predicted a brilliant future for his successor Emre Can, who he believes will become a “king” at Anfield.