Curtis Jones Joins Inter Milan in £30m Transfer from Liverpool

Inter Milan have completed the signing of Curtis Jones from Liverpool in a £30m (€35m) deal, drawing a firm line under a 16-year story that began when he walked into the academy as a nine-year-old.

Liverpool will receive a fixed £25.7m fee plus £4.28m in add-ons, with a 10 per cent sell-on clause also included. For a homegrown midfielder who came through Kirkby, lifted major trophies and survived several rebuilds, this is a clean break with a clear financial upside.

Iraola loses a loyal lieutenant – and backs a teenager

Head coach Andoni Iraola wanted to keep Jones. He made that clear. But the club chose to cash in with the midfielder entering the final year of his contract, and Iraola has already begun talking up the next man in line.

Trey Nyoni, just 19, is being pushed towards the spotlight.

The youngster has impressed across pre-season and Iraola believes he can step into the gap left by Jones in the coming campaign. It is a bold call, but Liverpool’s planning this summer has always been framed around other areas of the pitch.

Wide reinforcements remain the priority

Liverpool’s main objective in this window has been to strengthen out wide. Two bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh have already been knocked back, the latest worth £60m.

They are also pursuing Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, though the European champions value him at a staggering £145m. Those numbers alone explain why Liverpool were prepared to bank £30m for a player who was no longer certain to be central to Iraola’s plans.

Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, is drawing interest from Spurs. For now, Liverpool do not want to sell.

A Liverpool career that spanned trophies and turbulence

Jones made his first-team debut in the 2018/19 season and went on to make 228 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 22 goals. He lived through the club’s modern high-water marks and some of its more bruising campaigns.

At Anfield he collected two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups, the Club World Cup and the FA Cup, and he was part of the squad that finished as Champions League runners-up in 2022.

Last season under Arne Slot, Jones featured 49 times in all competitions. Thirty-four of those came in the club’s failed Premier League title defence, a campaign in which he juggled roles alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch and was even drafted in as a makeshift right-back when required.

Now, that versatility heads to Serie A.

Jones becomes the third England international to join Inter in this window, following John Stones and Djed Spence into Cristian Chivu’s squad as the Italian giants continue a very deliberate recruitment drive from the Premier League.

What now for Liverpool’s midfield?

Jones’ exit sharpens the focus on Iraola’s midfield options.

The new manager plans to build around Florian Wirtz in his favoured No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1. That tactical tweak immediately reshapes the picture behind him: Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Gravenberch are now effectively fighting for two deeper midfield spots in front of the back four.

Wataru Endo remains in the mix as a reliable option, while Nyoni’s eye-catching pre-season has pushed him into serious contention. And with £30m banked, Liverpool have the flexibility to move for a replacement if the right profile emerges.

The midfield is not threadbare. It is, however, one body lighter, and that body was a player who knew the club, the demands and the league inside out.

“I came here as a kid… I’m leaving as a man”

Jones chose to say goodbye in his own words, and they underlined just how deeply Liverpool is woven into his life.

“After 16 years, it's time to say goodbye.

“I came here as a kid with a dream of playing for Liverpool, and I've been lucky enough to actually live that dream.

This club is all I've ever known. I came here as a kid and I'm leaving as a man with a family of my own, which probably puts into perspective just how much of my life I've spent here.

So much has happened during my time here, both on and off the pitch. I've made my debut, won trophies, made memories I'll never forget, and I've become a dad.

Having my daughter while I've been here makes it even more special because Liverpool isn't just part of my story any more, it's part of my family's story too.

I want to thank everyone in the academy who believed in me and helped me get to where I am today. There are people here who have known me since I was a kid and literally watched me grow up.

Thank you to every manager and coach I've worked with for trusting me, giving me opportunities and always pushing me to become better.

And a massive thank you to everyone behind the scenes - the physios, medical team, kit staff, chefs, analysts, security, media team, grounds staff and everyone else who makes this place what it is.

To all the lads I've shared a dressing room with over the years, thank you. I've played with some unbelievable players and made friendships that I know I'll have for life.

Thank you to the fans that stuck by me and always supported me. I will always be one of you.

Now it's time for a new challenge and a new chapter for me and my family, and I'm excited for what's ahead.

But Liverpool will always be a massive part of me. I came here as a kid with a dream and I'm leaving having lived it. So genuinely, to everyone who has played any part in my 16 years here, thank you. I'll never forget it.

“YNWA.”

The academy kid who grew into a title-winner walks away with his medal collection and his memories. Inter get a seasoned 23-year-old with European pedigree. Liverpool get room to manoeuvre and a vacancy in midfield.

The real test now is simple: can Iraola’s reshaped engine room, and the rising Nyoni, make Anfield forget a local lad who grew up with the badge on his chest?