The England right-back is down to the final 12 months of the lucrative deal he penned back in 2011.
Boss Brendan Rodgers said in March that starting negotiations over an extension would be “a priority” during the close season but the ECHO understands that Liverpool are now in no rush to sort out his future.
The Reds are prepared to retain Johnson’s services for next season and run the risk of losing him on a free transfer in 2015. By then he will be nearly 31 and have little sell-on value anyway.
Johnson’s form was erratic for most of the campaign and he didn’t come close to justifying his £110,000 per week salary which makes him one of the club’s highest earners.
Anfield officials believe he has done little to merit the security of a new deal but they don’t intend to off-load him.
Selling Johnson could raise £3million to £4million but Liverpool believe having invested so much in him since his £18million switch from Portsmouth in 2009 they would be better off keeping him for 2014/15 rather than having to splash out on a replacement.
The Reds’ approach to Johnson is also influenced by the terms of the contract he penned when Damien Comolli was director of football in July 2011. There is a significant reduction in his basic wage during the final year of his deal.
There is a feeling inside Anfield that Johnson is better when he has something to fight for and the hope is that coming back in pre-season without a contract on the table should focus his mind.
Written by Steve Milne
