Curtis Jones Faces €35m Dilemma as Inter Push Again for Liverpool Midfielder

Inter have come back for Curtis Jones, this time with more money on the table and a clearer sense that Liverpool’s resistance is starting to creak.

The Italian champions, who saw a €25m offer rejected in June, have indicated through intermediaries that they are now ready to go to €35m (£30m) for the Liverpool midfielder. Liverpool have been valuing the 25-year-old closer to €40m, but the clock is ticking: Jones has only a year left on his contract at Anfield.

That combination – a rising bid, a shrinking contract, and a player who has never fully nailed down a starting place – is dragging a long‑running debate inside the club towards a decision.

A homegrown asset on the brink

Jones is not just another squad player. He is a local, a product of Liverpool’s academy, and a symbol of the pathway from Kirkby to the first team. That status has always given him a little more protection in difficult spells, a little more patience when form dipped or injuries bit.

But he has struggled to turn flashes of quality into an unarguable claim on a starting role. Last season under Arne Slot, he drifted on the edges of the XI, often involved, rarely indispensable. The frustration showed. At times his body language told its own story.

It flared again in New York this week. After Liverpool’s win over Wrexham, Jones was involved in a row with Dominik Szoboszlai, apparently triggered by the captain’s armband. When Szoboszlai went off in the second half of the friendly, Jones did not receive the armband and did not hide his annoyance.

One incident in pre-season does not define a career, but it does underline a mood: this is a player who wants status, minutes, responsibility. Inter are offering all three.

Inter’s determination meets Liverpool’s resolve

Inter’s interest has never been casual. Their initial €25m bid in June was firm, and the willingness to return so quickly with an improved offer to €35m shows how highly they rate Jones. For a club that has recruited smartly in midfield in recent years, this is another calculated move rather than a punt.

Liverpool’s stance has been equally clear. They have set their valuation closer to €40m and, publicly at least, have not been in a hurry to sell. The new head coach, Andoni Iraola, has spoken about the importance of keeping Jones, stressing the need for a local core as he starts his first season in charge.

That principle is now colliding with cold, contractual reality. Lose Jones next summer and he walks away for nothing. Accept Inter’s offer now and Liverpool bank a significant fee for a player who has never quite become central to their plans.

The decision is not just financial. Letting a homegrown midfielder leave at 25 sends a message about where Iraola sees the evolution of his squad. Keeping him, despite the contract situation and Inter’s pressure, would send another.

For now, Inter have pushed their chips to €35m and are waiting. Liverpool must decide what matters more: the value of a local boy in the dressing room, or the value of a sizeable fee before he slips away for free.