Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Curtis Jones on the Chopping Block
Liverpool’s summer rebuild is starting to point in one direction: Curtis Jones might be the one sacrificed.
The club have already moved decisively in the market. Jeremy Jacquet, Ronald Araujo and Victor Munoz have all arrived, with Araujo joining on loan from Barcelona with a €55m option to buy, shoring up a defence that needed depth. With that box ticked, attention at Anfield has swung firmly to the flanks.
Liverpool are pushing to land PSG duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye to bolster their wide options. If both deals come off, there’s an expectation Tottenham could finally be given the nod to move for Cody Gakpo, whose name has hovered around the exit column for weeks.
But it’s Jones who now sits at the heart of one of the window’s most intriguing chains.
Inter circle as Liverpool soften stance
The 25-year-old Scouser is into the final year of his contract. There are no talks over an extension. That alone sets the tone.
Inter Milan have been on his trail since January, when they tried and failed to pry him away from Anfield. The Serie A champions have already tested Liverpool’s resolve twice this summer, the largest offer coming in at €30m. At that stage, Liverpool were understood to be holding out for something closer to €40m-€45m.
The gap is shrinking.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Inter now believe a deal can be struck at around €35m – roughly £30m – and that Liverpool are prepared to cash in at that figure. Romano reported that Inter have kept Jones as a “priority target” since May and now feel a move “could happen” at that price.
There is, however, one major condition: Davide Frattesi has to go first.
Newcastle’s midfield hunt could unlock the move
This is where Newcastle United step into the story.
Newcastle are suddenly light in midfield after being forced to part with Bruno Guimaraes, who has joined Arsenal in a £75m deal. That departure leaves a hole not just in quality, but in personality and control in the middle of the pitch. They need a replacement, and they need one quickly.
Frattesi is on the table.
TEAMtalk revealed that Newcastle have been offered the 26-year-old Italy international, with Inter ready to sell at around €30m, or £26m. The offer lands at a time when Newcastle’s other plans have started to unravel. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has already turned them down in what’s been described as a bruising rejection, while another key target, Joao Palhinha, is on course to join Aston Villa.
So Frattesi is no longer just an option. He’s a live opportunity.
If Newcastle decide to move for him and meet Inter’s price, the dominoes line up neatly: Inter get their funds, Frattesi leaves, and the Italian champions are free to launch what they hope will be a decisive bid for Jones before the window shuts.
Inter are currently waiting for that trigger. Romano notes there is “no green light” yet for a fresh offer while Frattesi remains on their books, but the intent is clear: they will try again for Jones before the deadline.
The upshot? A £26m call from Newcastle on Frattesi could be the moment that pushes Liverpool into a £30m sale of a homegrown midfielder who has spent his entire footballing life at the club.
For Liverpool, it would be a calculated gamble: sacrifice a local academy product in the final year of his deal to help finance a new-look attack and a reshaped squad under a new era. For Jones, it could be a switch from boyhood club to reigning Italian champions. For Newcastle, the decision on Frattesi might not just define their midfield, but quietly reshape Liverpool’s too.
