Glen Johnson tells £80m Chelsea target to choose Liverpool transfer | Football

Glen Johnson says Alex Scott should prioritise a transfer move to Liverpool over Chelsea as the Reds are going in a ‘better direction’ and are more ‘stable’ than their rivals.

Scott has established himself as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Premier League football since swapping Bristol City for Bournemouth three-and-a-half years ago.

In that time, the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength at the heart of the Cherries’ midfield and was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad in the summer.

However, Scott was recalled by Tuchel last month and went on to make his debut as a second-half substitute in the Three Lions’ Nations League victory over the Czech Republic in Prague.

He was then given the nod from the start in England’s thumping 7-0 defeat of Croatia, producing an outstanding performance in Tuchel’s engine room alongside Elliot Anderson in Rijeka.

But while Scott’s stock has soared in months, bad news followed England’s win as it emerged that the Bournemouth man could be sidelined for up to eight weeks due to a thigh injury.

Scott’s absence has not put an end to speculation over his future, with recent reports indicating that Bournemouth could be prepared to consider offers in excess of £80million for their prized possession this winter.

Chelsea are believed to be in pole position for Scott and are reportedly growing ‘increasingly confident’ of securing a deal for the England international.

The likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool continue to be linked, though, and Johnson believes Scott would be wise to strongly consider a move to Merseyside should the opportunity arise.

Asked if Scott should choose Stamford Bridge or Anfield, ex-Chelsea and Liverpool defender Johnson told Betfred: ‘As of today, I’d have to say Liverpool.

‘That’s not necessarily due to him getting more game-time or anything like that, but I’m saying it more from the perspective of Liverpool as a club being a lot more stable and they’re going in a better direction.

‘I’d choose Liverpool purely for stability, but I’m not sure which club he’d get more game-time at to be honest.

‘You can certainly understand why both clubs are interested in him though.’

In a separate interview with Action Network, though, Johnson hinted he was still yet to be totally convinced by Scott and suggested Frenkie de Jong may be a more suitable signing for the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.

‘Alex Scott is a good player, but I haven’t seen enough of him to say if he’s at the top-four level,’ the former England right-back explained.

‘We don’t know yet, but he’s definitely shown some glimpses and started the season very well, and obviously got himself in the England fold, and that’s only going to boost his confidence.

‘I think I need to see some more, but I think he’s definitely on the right path to be playing for one of the top teams.’

On Barcelona midfielder De Jong, Johnson added: ‘If Frenkie de Jong is fit, he’s a great player.

‘I don’t know how he is with the recent injury, but he’s been out for a while, and how the deal would go in terms of finances, God knows what he would cost, but as long as he’s fit, then, yeah, I think he’d be a great signing.’

Though Bournemouth are in no hurry to part with Scott, they recognise that the midfielder may have ambitions to leave the club for bigger and better things in the near future.

For now, though, the Cherries are adamant that the Vitality Stadium remains the ‘right place’ for Scott despite mounting interest from some of Europe’s top teams.

‘At this point, we’re convinced that we’re the right place for Alex to be, for Alex to stay, and we’ll keep on addressing contract issues with Alex as we move through this year,’ Bournemouth owner Bill Foley told talkSPORT earlier this month.

‘We’d love to have Alex stay here, sign a new contract and be part of this team for the long haul, and we’re still working on it. We haven’t given up.

‘But sometimes players get stars in their eyes and they think that Chelsea is the right place to go or Manchester City.’

Scott’s current contract on the south coast runs through to June 2028.

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