Curtis Jones Set to Join Inter Milan Amid Liverpool Negotiations

Curtis Jones has made up his mind. Now it is up to Liverpool and Inter Milan to stop arguing over the numbers.

The England international has already committed to joining the Serie A champions, with negotiations locked on a relatively small but stubborn gap in valuation between the clubs. Inter have put around €25m (£21m) on the table. Liverpool are holding out for closer to €30m (£25m), which they regard as a fair price for a 25-year-old with his experience and pedigree.

It is not just a haggling exercise. It is a line in the sand.

Jones ready to close his Anfield chapter

Behind the scenes, sources are clear: Jones has accepted that his time at Anfield is drawing to a close. After coming through the academy, breaking into the first team and living the full Liverpool story, he has decided his next step lies abroad – and specifically at San Siro.

Premier League interest has been there for months. Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have all checked in on his situation, sounding out the possibility of keeping him in England. Jones has listened, but not wavered. Those close to him have been told his preference is Inter, his first taste of football outside the Premier League and a deliberate move into a new culture, a new league, a new pressure.

He wants Italy. He wants Inter.

Inter push leverage, Liverpool push back

Inter’s stance is shaped by the clock. Jones is entering the final year of his Liverpool contract, and the Italian champions believe that reality weakens Liverpool’s hand. From their side of the table, €25m for a player who can walk away for nothing next summer already looks generous. They are reluctant to move significantly from that offer.

Liverpool see it very differently.

Burned by recent exits, the club hierarchy is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past 12 months, when Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold both departed on free transfers. Losing another asset for nothing is not an option they are willing to entertain. That context explains the firmness around their €30m valuation, even if there is an acceptance that a compromise will likely be needed to get the deal over the line.

So the talks continue, inching forward, neither side yet willing to blink.

Chiesa’s Italian sales pitch

Inside the dressing room, the move has its own momentum. Federico Chiesa, who knows Serie A as well as anyone after his Juventus years, has been a key voice in Jones’ ear.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Chiesa revealed the nature of their conversations. “Jones just asked me what life is like in Italy. I told him it’s great and the weather is better than Liverpool, which, aside from that, is a special place,” he said. It was more than small talk. It was an endorsement.

“Jones is really strong technically. Inter are right to think about him.”

Those words echo what many in Italy already believe: that Jones’ future is increasingly aligned with Inter’s midfield, and that his profile – technically sharp, tactically flexible, comfortable in tight spaces – fits the rhythm of Serie A.

The expectation around the move is growing. So is the pressure to conclude it.

Liverpool plan for life after Jones

Inside Liverpool, there is no illusion about Jones’ mindset. While the club would once have preferred to build around a homegrown midfielder entering his peak years, there is now a recognition that he wants a new challenge and is pushing to seize it.

Talks between the clubs remain active, and there is quiet optimism that the financial gap can be bridged. New head coach Andoni Iraola is already deep into a broader midfield rebuild, with Liverpool assessing several reinforcements as part of a wider reshaping of the squad. Jones’ departure, if and when it is finalised, will not come as a shock to the recruitment team. It is being planned for.

For Jones, the equation is simpler. He is focused on completing the move, trading Merseyside for Milan and joining the growing list of English players willing to test themselves in Serie A.

The only question left is not whether he goes – he has already chosen – but how long Liverpool and Inter are prepared to let a few million euros stand in the way of a deal that now feels inevitable.