Inter's Midfield Revolution: Chivu Targets Koné and Jones

Cristian Chivu has not even finished clearing the confetti from Inter’s latest campaign, yet the outline of his midfield revolution is already on the table. At the heart of it: a bold attempt to prise Manu Koné from Roma and Curtis Jones from Liverpool in the same summer window.

This is not tinkering. It is surgery.

Koné, the primary target

Reports in Italy place Koné at the top of Inter’s domestic shortlist. The Frenchman only arrived at Roma in the summer of 2024, signed from Borussia Mönchengladbach for €18 million plus €2 million in bonuses, but has quickly become a fixture in the Giallorossi’s engine room.

Eighty-one appearances, four goals, six assists. Not eye-watering numbers, but a clear picture of a midfielder trusted to play, and to play often.

Koné is tied to Roma until June 2029 on a net salary of €2.8 million per season. On paper, that looks like a long-term pillar. In reality, Roma’s need to stay on the right side of financial fair play could crack that foundation open. If the right offer lands, they may have to listen.

Inter already tested the water last August and came away empty-handed. This time, Chivu’s insistence is pushing them back to the negotiating table, and the Nerazzurri are ready to be creative.

Swap deals on the table

The potential key to unlocking Koné lies not just in cash, but in players. A deal under discussion could see Roma receive Carlos Augusto and/or Davide Frattesi, with Inter using their own assets to drive down the fee and reshape their squad in one move.

For Inter, Frattesi’s expected departure is no longer a looming threat but an opportunity to reconfigure the midfield around a different profile. For Roma, the idea of adding proven Serie A pieces while easing financial pressure has its own logic.

Both clubs walk into this negotiation with needs, not luxuries. That usually brings movement.

Jones as the second piece

The story does not end with Koné. Even if Inter land the Frenchman, the club are not closing the door on a second midfield signing. Curtis Jones has emerged as a live option, a different type of midfielder to plug into Chivu’s plans rather than a fallback in case Koné slips away.

Jones is under contract at Liverpool until June 2027 on a net salary of around €500,000 per season. In wage terms, that is a modest figure for a player operating at Champions League level, and it makes any potential move far easier to structure from Inter’s side.

The 2025/26 campaign has already given the Nerazzurri a close look at him. At San Siro last December, in the UEFA Champions League league phase, Jones battled in midfield under the floodlights, trying to wriggle free from the attention of Nicolo Barella. It was a small snapshot, but a revealing one: a player technically secure enough to live in that space, physically ready to carry the ball through pressure.

Inter’s view is clear: Jones would not come instead of Koné, but alongside him, as a complementary piece in a deeper, more versatile midfield unit.

Paz dream fading, plan B takes shape

For months, Inter’s more romantic dream in that area of the pitch carried the name Nico Paz. That vision is now slipping away, and with it the idea of building around a single, marquee young talent.

The response is pragmatic. Koné as the primary domestic coup. Jones as the flexible, financially manageable addition. Frattesi likely sacrificed to make room, both on the pitch and on the balance sheet.

Chivu wanted a midfield he could call his own. If Inter pull off this double move, he will have it – and Serie A will be staring at a very different Nerazzurri core when the new season kicks off.