Former Liverpool defender makes huge transfer statement ahead of £70m summer deal

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes the club should be targeting Mason Mount to restore their midfield this summer.

The Chelsea midfielder is currently embroiled in contact discussions with his boyhood club, as his current deal is set to expire at the end of next season.

It remains somewhat surprising that a deal has not been made yet, given the 24-year-old has spent his whole footballing life at the club from a very young age and the fact that he’s been their player of the season for the last two campaigns.

With Liverpool showing signs of weakness in the middle of the pitch, midfield targets are high on the agenda for this summer’s spending and Mount has been heavily linked - and that is a move that Johnson believes Jurgen Klopp should be pushing, rather than a ball-winning or more defensively-minded midfielder.

“Yeah, I’d say more creative.” Johnson revealed to AceOdds in an exclusive interview.

“Liverpool heavily relied on the front three or four over many years, which don’t get me wrong, it’s worked, but there’s times in certain games when you need some more creativity and goals from midfield. Just for the odd day when two out of those three aren’t firing, for example.

“So I think there’s been a lot of speculation with Mount. I know he suffered a little bit of injury as well, but for me I think he’s the sort of guy that would really enjoy playing under Klopp.

“I think he’d suit the lads that are already there and I think he could show that, give that fresher legs, the energy, and the creativity to support those front three and four.”

Recent reports have stated that a fee around £70m will be required to prize the England international away from Stamford Bridge, which could be a major stumbling block - but it’s still far less than the £130m needed just to join the race for Jude Bellingham and it may even end up costing less than the figure suggested given his deal is up in 2024.

However, it may become easier to sign the midfielder given the club posted £121m’s worth of losses recently and the fact that players will need to be offloaded in order to for the club to move forward.