Inter Targets Manu Koné and Curtis Jones for Midfield Revamp

Cristian Chivu has only just started to put his stamp on Inter, but the blueprint is already clear: the midfield will be rebuilt, and rebuilt aggressively.

With Davide Frattesi expected to leave, Inter are weighing up an ambitious move for not one, but two new central options – Manu Koné of Roma and Curtis Jones of Liverpool – as the club reshapes the core of its side for next season.

Koné at the heart of Inter’s plan

Koné sits at the top of Inter’s domestic shortlist. Tuttosport, via CalcioMercato, reports that the Frenchman is the primary target as Chivu looks for power, dynamism and quality on the ball in the middle of the pitch.

Roma only brought Koné in from Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2024, paying €18 million plus €2 million in bonuses. Since then, he has become a regular presence for the Giallorossi, racking up 81 appearances with four goals and six assists.

He is tied to Roma until June 2029 on a net salary of €2.8 million per season. That long contract gives Roma leverage, but also a strategic choice. To help meet financial fair play requirements, the club may be open to a significant sale if the offer is structured correctly.

Inter already tried to prise Koné away last August and came up empty-handed. They are ready to return to the table, this time with Chivu firmly pushing from inside the club. The idea is to put together a deal that works on multiple levels: cash plus players.

One scenario under discussion would see Roma receive Carlos Augusto and/or Frattesi in exchange. On paper, it is the kind of swap that ticks boxes for both sides – Inter get their midfield engine, Roma gain ready-made Serie A pieces while easing their financial constraints.

Jones lined up as second piece of the puzzle

The pursuit does not stop with Koné. Tuttosport indicates that his arrival would not automatically close the door on a second midfield signing. Inter are thinking bigger than a like-for-like replacement for Frattesi; they are thinking about a full reconfiguration.

Curtis Jones has emerged as a live option. The Liverpool midfielder, under contract at Anfield until June 2027, earns a net salary of around €500,000 per season – a modest figure by elite European standards. From a wage-structure standpoint, that makes him a clean, manageable addition.

Inter do not see Jones as an alternative to Koné, but as a complement. The England international would add another profile to Chivu’s options: a technically sound, tactically flexible midfielder who can operate in different roles across the middle third.

The club’s earlier dream of landing Nico Paz has faded, and with it the idea of building around that particular kind of young, creative fulcrum. The response has been pragmatic. Inter have pivoted toward targets who can be prised loose this summer and who fit both the tactical plan and the financial framework.

Koné as the driving force. Jones as the versatile foil. If Inter manage to pull off both moves, Chivu’s new-look midfield will not just replace what Frattesi leaves behind – it will change the way this team plays.