Chelsea, saying that before he was about to sign for Liverpool, the club's owner Roman Abramovich turned up trying to get him to stay.The former England defender, 37, was at Stamford Bridge from 2003 to 2007 having joined from Portsmouth - before he made the move to Anfield.
But before he signed on the dotted line, he had Abramovich - who is currently sanctioned for his ties with war aggressor Vladimir Putin - and his entourage at his home, attempting to persuade him to remain with the club.
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.Johnson played across six seasons for the Reds, the club he signed in a deal £18.5 million deal for, winning the League Cup in 2011.
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