Inter Targets Curtis Jones as Key to Chivu's Plan
Inter have fixed their gaze on Curtis Jones and are refusing to blink first.
The Serie A champions have already tested Liverpool’s resolve with a £30 million bid for the midfielder, only to see it swiftly pushed back, with the Premier League club signalling they want closer to €40m before even thinking about letting an academy product walk out of Anfield.
For Inter, this is no passing fancy. It is a plan.
Chivu’s request: a “seventh man” for the engine room
The move for Jones is not being driven by agents or opportunism, but from the very top of the club’s sporting structure. President Beppe Marotta and sporting director Piero Ausilio recently sat down over a strategic dinner with head coach Cristian Chivu, mapping out the next phase of their mercato.
Out of that meeting came a clear, specific request: Jones.
Chivu wants a different kind of midfielder to round out his options, a disruptive “seventh” piece in his preferred system, someone who can break rhythm, press with intensity and offer versatility between the lines. At 25, Jones fits that profile in the Romanian coach’s eyes, a player with Premier League schooling who has slipped to the fringes at Liverpool under new boss Andoni Iraola.
The result is a classic modern crossroads. On Merseyside, Jones has grown increasingly unhappy with his reduced role. In Milan, a coach is openly pushing for his arrival. The player, for his part, is understood to be open to a fresh start in Italy and would welcome a move to San Siro.
English flavour in Milan
If Inter get their way, Jones will not be the only Englishman walking into Appiano Gentile this summer.
The club are already putting the final touches on a deal for Manchester City defender John Stones, who is in Italy undergoing medical tests. That move underlines Inter’s intent: experience, personality, and players used to the highest level.
Jones, younger and still with something to prove, would bring a different edge. But to make room for him, Inter first have to solve a problem of excess.
Midfield logjam forces Inter to sell
Inter’s midfield is crowded. Too crowded for another arrival without significant movement out.
The most delicate case is Davide Frattesi. The Italy international wants out to revive a stalling career, yet Inter have not received an offer that matches their valuation. His situation hangs over the department, a reminder that ambition in the market must be balanced by hard numbers.
Behind him, the plan is clearer. Kristjan Asllani has been earmarked for departure, while young prospect Ebenezer Akinsanmiro has already left for Monza. These are the kind of exits Inter see as essential to free up both space and funds for Jones.
Until those deals are pushed over the line, the chase for the Liverpool midfielder remains more of a strategic siege than a straight sprint.
Inter’s waiting game with Liverpool
Inter know Liverpool’s stance. They also believe it can shift.
The Italian club are prepared to drag this pursuit deep into August, convinced that time can become their ally. From their perspective, Liverpool face a risk: keep a homegrown player, frustrated and parked on the bench, or eventually soften their demands as the window closes and the noise around Jones grows louder.
Inter are betting that pressure will tell. Not today, not tomorrow, but as the deadline looms and the market tightens.
While Liverpool’s first-team squad embark on a pre-season tour through Hong Kong and Perth, the real action for Jones’ future is taking place far away from the cameras. Marotta and Ausilio are staying in Europe, working the phones, keeping the line to Anfield open and alive, waiting for the moment when stance turns into negotiation.
The offer is on the table. The coach has made his choice. The player is listening.
Now the question is simple: how long can Liverpool hold their ground, and how much do Inter truly want to find out?
