Inter Push for Curtis Jones as Liverpool Weigh £30m Exit

Inter are stepping up their move for Curtis Jones, with Liverpool braced to lose the midfielder if the Italian champions hit a £30m (€35m) fee.

The 25-year-old, a Liverpool player since the age of nine, is expected to leave Anfield this summer should Inter reach that figure. The Serie A side have tracked him since January and already saw a €25m offer rejected in June.

Liverpool initially valued the England international closer to €40m, but the dynamics have shifted. Jones is into the final year of his contract and there is no sign of a breakthrough over an extension, dragging that valuation down towards Inter’s range.

Intermediaries acting for the Milan club made contact again in July, outlining a structure that could take the deal up to €35m. Formal negotiations between the clubs began on Wednesday. No agreement is in place, but if Inter go to the full €35m, Liverpool are expected to give the green light to a sale.

Inside the Italian club, last week’s €35m move for Tottenham defender Djed Spence has effectively set the going rate. That deal is viewed as a benchmark for what they are prepared to commit to secure Jones.

For Liverpool, the decision is laced with emotion as well as cold finance. Jones, capped six times by England, has long been seen as one of the standard-bearers of the club’s academy. Yet he has never fully nailed down a permanent starting role and endured a frustrating campaign last season under Arne Slot, often on the fringes and visibly exasperated by his minutes.

New head coach Andoni Iraola made a point at his unveiling of stressing how important Jones was to his plans. He spoke about the need for a local heartbeat in the squad and name-checked the Toxteth-born midfielder as central to that identity.

Now the reality of the market is cutting across that ideal. Inter’s persistence, the looming risk of losing Jones for nothing next summer and the appeal of a sizeable fee for a homegrown player are all bearing down on Liverpool’s hierarchy.

The talks are live. The numbers are clear. What remains is the question that has stalked Liverpool all summer: do they cling to local heritage, or cash in on it while they still can?