Inter Milan Pursues Curtis Jones as Liverpool Holds Firm on Valuation

Inter Milan have made their move for Curtis Jones. Liverpool, for now, are refusing to budge.

The Italian club have signalled a willingness to go to around £30m for the midfielder, according to the Daily Mail, but Anfield has drawn a clear line in the sand: Jones is valued at a minimum of £35m. That £5m gap is not a minor detail. It is the difference between serious negotiation and a non-starter.

Liverpool have already knocked back an offer of £21.75m from Inter, a bid that barely scratched the surface of their valuation and underlined the power dynamic here. Inter like the player. They have tracked him for some time. But admiration does not equate to a discount, especially with a homegrown 25-year-old entering what should be his peak years.

Liverpool are not slamming the door shut. With Jones moving into the final year of his contract, there is an acceptance that conversations will happen and that the market will test their resolve. What they are not doing is blinking first.

Inter’s long courtship

Inter’s interest is not a late-summer scramble. Sporting director Piero Ausilio went on record earlier in the window, making their intentions plain.

“Curtis Jones – we are paying attention to him. We didn't hide. We understand what the developments will be,” he said, a rare moment of transfer candour that matched the scale of their admiration.

Those words have been backed up by action. The latest signals from Italy suggest Inter are still very much at the table, probing Liverpool’s stance and looking for any sign of softening. So far, there is none.

A squad in transition under Iraola

This pursuit lands at a delicate moment for Liverpool. The club is reshaping under Andoni Iraola, with the midfield already a crowded and fiercely competitive area.

Jones has often lived in that space between starter and squad man. Reliable, tactically adaptable, rarely the headline act but frequently trusted when the stakes rise. Around him, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz are all expected to carry major responsibility in central areas, a cluster of talent that makes every selection call and every sale more complicated.

This is where the numbers on a spreadsheet meet the reality of a long season. Champions League football, domestic demands, a new head coach trying to stamp his identity on the side – depth is not a luxury, it is a requirement. Jones has been exactly the kind of player who can step in without the level collapsing, a quality that rarely shows up in highlight reels but often decides seasons.

Why Liverpool’s price is high

The market context is clear. Jones is homegrown, experienced at the top end of English football and tactically flexible enough to play multiple roles across midfield. At 25, he sits in that sweet spot between proven and still with room to grow.

Players with that profile do not come cheap, particularly for a club trying to manage a generational handover without losing its competitive edge. Liverpool know that if they cash in, they will have to replace not just a position, but reliability, familiarity with the club’s demands and a player who understands the weight of the shirt.

That is why £30m feels light from Anfield’s perspective. £35m is closer to reality. Even then, some supporters will look at the cost of replacing a homegrown midfielder in this market and still feel uneasy.

Wider interest around Anfield

Jones is not the only name on the agenda. Liverpool are in talks over a deal for Bradley Barcola with Paris Saint-Germain while also casting an eye over other areas of the squad. At the same time, interest has arrived for several younger players.

Luke Chambers, Lewis Koumas, Calum Scanlon and Ifeanyi Ndukwe have all attracted enquiries, a reflection of how strongly some of the club’s emerging talent performed on the USA tour. Squad planning, under Iraola, clearly stretches well beyond the established senior names.

Every outgoing decision, then, feeds into a broader puzzle: where to trim, where to protect, and where to gamble.

The Jones dilemma

For Jones himself, the situation is nuanced. A player in his mid-20s will naturally want a bigger role, more starts, a central place in a project rather than a supporting one. Careers are short. Sitting on the periphery is rarely anyone’s ambition.

From Liverpool’s side, the calculation is colder. They must weigh his desire for minutes against the value he provides as a dependable option, and against what the market is willing to pay. If they are to sell, it has to be on their terms, not at a price that underestimates his quality, his status in the squad and the challenge of finding a like-for-like replacement.

Inter have made their intentions clear. Liverpool have answered just as clearly.

If the Serie A side truly want Curtis Jones, the next move is obvious: they will have to come closer to Liverpool’s number – or walk away and watch a player they admire help shape a new era at Anfield instead.