Curtis Jones Chooses Inter Milan Over Liverpool

Curtis Jones has made up his mind. Now it is down to Liverpool and Inter Milan to catch up.

The 25-year-old midfielder has already committed to joining the Serie A champions, with negotiations between the clubs locked on a fee and neither side yet willing to blink. For Jones, though, the emotional decision has been taken: his time at Anfield is drawing to a close and the next chapter, he believes, lies in Milan.

Jones chooses Italy over Premier League queue

Interest in Jones inside the Premier League has been real and sustained. Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have all checked on his situation in recent months, sensing opportunity around a player who has never fully nailed down an undisputed starting role at Liverpool but has shown enough to tempt ambitious clubs.

They have all been told the same thing. Jones wants Inter.

After weighing up his options, he has informed those close to him that his preference is to move abroad and test himself in Serie A for the first time. The lure of playing for the Italian champions at San Siro, in a different football culture and a new environment, has trumped the comfort of staying in England.

A €5m gap that won’t go away

The story now is about numbers, not intention.

Inter have put around €25m (£21m) on the table. Liverpool are holding out for closer to €30m (£25m), a figure they argue reflects Jones’ quality, experience and age. The gap is not huge, but it has been stubborn.

Inter’s stance is shaped by contract reality. Jones is entering the final year of his deal, and the Italians believe that weakens Liverpool’s negotiating position. From their point of view, overpaying now when they could potentially move for him on a free next year makes little sense.

Liverpool see it differently. They have already watched Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold walk away as free agents over the past 12 months and are determined not to repeat the pattern with another asset they still rate. That recent scar tissue is driving their insistence on a proper fee, even if there is an acceptance behind the scenes that some compromise will be required to get the deal over the line.

So the talks continue, with both clubs edging around the same small but significant €5m problem.

Chiesa’s endorsement and life in Serie A

Inside the Liverpool dressing room, Jones has not had to look far for advice on Italy. Federico Chiesa, the former Juventus forward now at Anfield, has played a quiet but notable role in nudging him towards Serie A.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Chiesa revealed that Jones had asked what life in Italy is like. The answer was glowing. He told Jones that living there is “great” and that the weather is better than Liverpool, while still calling Merseyside a “special place”. On the pitch, Chiesa did not hesitate either: Jones, he said, is “really strong technically” and Inter are “right to think about him.”

Those comments echo a growing sense in Italy that Jones is headed for San Siro. Inter see a technically gifted midfielder, entering his prime, available at a price they believe can be shaped by time and pressure. Jones sees a club that has just won the title, competes deep in Europe and offers him a fresh canvas.

Liverpool brace for another departure

Inside Liverpool, there is an acceptance that, earlier in his career, the club would have preferred to build around Jones rather than plan for his exit. Circumstances have changed. A new head coach in Andoni Iraola, a wider squad rebuild and the player’s own desire for a different challenge have all converged.

Liverpool’s midfield planning under Iraola is already well advanced. The club have been assessing multiple reinforcements as part of a broader reshaping of the squad, conscious that losing Jones without a clear succession plan would only deepen the transition.

For now, the message from sources close to the talks is that discussions are ongoing and there is optimism that a compromise will eventually be found. Liverpool want to protect value. Inter want to exploit the clock. Somewhere between €25m and €30m lies the answer.

Jones, meanwhile, waits for the paperwork to catch up with his ambition. He is ready to swap Merseyside for Milan and join the growing list of English players willing to leave the Premier League bubble for Serie A.

If the two clubs finally meet in the middle, San Siro will soon discover whether Liverpool’s nearly-man can become Inter’s next midfield reference point.