Inter Milan near £30m deal for Curtis Jones from Liverpool

Inter Milan are edging towards a deal worth around 35m euros (£30m) for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, with both clubs now believed to be within touching distance of an agreement.

Liverpool knocked back a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) from the Italian champions in June, holding firm to a valuation closer to £35m for the 25-year-old, who is into the final year of his contract. That stance has dragged Inter higher. A package in the region of £30m now looks like the sweet spot.

Sources in Italy suggest a verbal agreement is already in place. Inside both clubs, the message is more cautious: key details still need ironing out before anything can be signed off. The direction of travel, though, is clear.

Liverpool are prepared to sell, but only on their terms. They want a deal broadly in line with the £30m Inter paid Tottenham for Djed Spence, using that transfer as a benchmark for Jones’ value in the current market.

Inter’s interest is not new. The Serie A champions pushed in January with a loan proposal that included an option to buy, only to see Liverpool shut the door. A straight loan never appealed. A proper fee does.

Jones has been a long-serving member of the Liverpool squad since his breakthrough under Jurgen Klopp in 2019, amassing 228 appearances in all competitions. Last season under Arne Slot he featured 49 times, but only 18 of those were Premier League starts, as he struggled to lock down a permanent place in a reshaped midfield.

Now, with one year left on his deal and Inter circling with serious money, Liverpool face a familiar modern dilemma: cash in on a homegrown player who never quite became indispensable, or gamble on a revival in his final season at Anfield.