Former Liverpool player Glenn Johnson has revealed that Roman Abramovich once turned up at his house with an entourage in an attempt to stop him moving to Anfield and come back to Chelsea instead.
The Reds signed the England right-back from Portsmouth for a fee of £18million back in the summer of 2009, but his path to Anfield was apparently not a straight forward one.
Johnson had a number of offers on the table before opting to head up north, but not before Russian oligarch Abramovich attempted to persuade him to move back to former club Chelsea.
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Speaking to Ladbrokes ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, Johnson said: "I had a couple of options open to me when I left Portsmouth - and a return to Chelsea or even a move up to Manchester City we're both massively on the cards before I settled on Liverpool. I had Roman [Abramovich] and his team over at my house and they were trying to get me to return to the club, and I was super close to doing so.
"It was actually Tottenham Hotspur who were first to the table, but that offer came halfway through the season. That one fizzled out as the campaign went on, then I'd say Chelsea were the next ones who expressed serious interest in me, then Man City came in and, obviously Liverpool also came along. "
Johnson went on to make 200 appearances for The Reds across all competitions, scoring nine goals and winning the League Cup in 2011.
Following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich is now subject to sanctions from the UK Government, due to his apparent links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The oligarch has seen all of his UK assets frozen, with Chelsea currently only able to continue operating under a special license.
