Inter Milan's Pursuit of Curtis Jones Intensifies

Inter Milan have come back for Curtis Jones. This time, they are closer to Liverpool’s number – but not close enough.

The Serie A champions have tabled a proposal worth around £30 million ($40.5m) for the midfielder, reopening a chase that first sparked into life in January. Liverpool’s stance has barely shifted. The asking price remains £35m ($47.2m), and they have been in no mood to blink.

Inter raise the stakes, Liverpool hold the line

Inter’s interest has been persistent rather than speculative. They opened talks in the winter window, only to be told in no uncertain terms that Liverpool would not sanction any late departures. Timing killed that move, not a lack of admiration.

They came back early last month with a bid in the region of £21m ($28.3m). Liverpool dismissed it almost instantly. The gap between the clubs’ valuations was too wide to make a drawn-out negotiation worthwhile.

Now the Italians have returned with a significantly improved offer. Agents working on Inter’s behalf have re-established contact, indicating a clear willingness to push harder for a deal. The pressure has gone up a notch. The valuation gap has narrowed. But Liverpool are still standing on their £35m line.

The context matters. Jones has just one year left on his contract. In pure market terms, that usually tilts leverage towards the buying club. Yet Liverpool’s position has been stubborn: pay the price, or walk away.

A local lad at a crossroads

Jones is not a peripheral figure plucked from the fringes. Since his debut in January 2019, the midfielder has amassed 228 appearances in a Liverpool shirt. He has grown from academy hopeful to established squad member, but the next step – becoming an undisputed starter – has proved harder to secure.

At 23, he wants more regular first-team football. Not just minutes, but status. Inter can offer a fresh stage, a starring role in a team that has dominated Serie A and gone deep in Europe. Liverpool, in transition under Andoni Iraola and new sporting director Richard Hughes, must decide how central Jones is to their rebuild.

Iraola’s public stance has been clear. Speaking earlier this month, he underlined just how highly he rates the midfielder and his importance to the club’s identity.

“I rate Curtis very highly. For me he is a great, great player and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing,” Iraola said, adding that his local roots matter. “It's very important that he's scouse, that he's from here. I also like the personality. From the outside at least he looks like a player with good character and I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time.”

Those are not the words of a coach eager to cash in.

A test of Liverpool’s resolve

Behind the scenes, the decision now rests with Hughes and Iraola. Do they cash in on a homegrown asset with a year left on his deal, banking a sizeable fee and reshaping the midfield again? Or do they back the manager’s wishes, keep a player he trusts, and push to tie Jones down to a new contract?

Inter, for their part, have signalled they are serious. A low opening offer has become a £30m proposal. The Italian champions have not walked away, even after an initial rejection and months of resistance from Anfield.

The dynamic is simple enough: Liverpool have set the price. Inter are edging towards it. The clock on Jones’s contract keeps ticking.

Somewhere between £30m and £35m lies the answer to a question that cuts to the heart of Liverpool’s new era: is Curtis Jones a cornerstone of the future, or the first big sale of it?