Liverpool are prepared to let Glen Johnson run into the final year of his contract with the club, with negotiations over a new deal yet to begin.
The 29-year-old is committed to the Reds until the summer of 2015, but Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are hesitant to offer extensions to players who will be over 30 when their current contracts expire.
Should he be offered a prolonged stay at Anfield, then England's first-choice right-back may have to take a pay cut as the American company employ a policy of rarely raising a player's salary when they go beyond their 30th birthday.
According to The Telegraph, Johnson could have to wait until the end of the season before talks open, and that could attract the attention of Champions League clubs likely to be admirers of the former Chelsea and Portsmouth star.
Johnson is currently sidelined with an ankle injury that he suffered in Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Manchester United and is not expected to return to training for another three weeks.
Joe Fish
