Johnson poised to make Anfield switch

Liverpool will hope to move closer to signing England right-back Glen Johnson from Premier League rivals Portsmouth on Tuesday.

The Anfield side confirmed on Monday night that they had reached an agreement with both the player and his club.

A Liverpool statement read: "Liverpool confirm they had reached an agreement with Portsmouth and with Glen Johnson for the transfer of the player to Anfield."

Johnson enjoyed arguably his best season in the Premier League last term as he established himself as England's first-choice right-back and attracted the interest of bigger clubs.

Pompey executive chairman Peter Storrie claimed last week Johnson's former club Chelsea were willing to pay £18million for the 24-year-old.

Rafael Benitez has not spoken of his interest in Johnson - many Reds fans would prefer him to reinforce his squad in other areas - but Johnson's impending arrival would seem to suggest Alvaro Arbeloa will be sold to Real Madrid sooner rather than later.

Johnson's first crack at the big time fizzled out when, after joining Chelsea from West Ham in 2003, he struggled to secure a regular first-team place and was loaned to Portsmouth before making the move permanent in 2007.