Liverpool dream shattered for midfielder who’s ready to ‘leave’ as FSG identify £70m replacement | OneFootball

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is ready to leave Anfield at the end of the season, but the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), have already earmarked Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as his replacement, according to reports.

Jones is out of contract at Liverpool in the summer of 2027, and talks between the player’s representatives and the Premier League club have been going on.

Inter Milan showed a keen interest in signing Jones in the January transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur also keen on the midfielder.

However, Liverpool were not receptive to any offers for the England international in the middle of the season.

Talks had been going on over a new contract, but, according to TEAMtalk, Jones’s days at Liverpool are now numbered.

Jones is ‘preparing to leave Liverpool’, claims the report, revealing that Aston Villa are ‘preparing to make a concrete move’ for the 25-year-old.

The midfielder is a homegrown player for Liverpool and has made 222 appearances for the Merseyside club so far in his career.

However, Jones is now said to be bracing ‘for a departure from his hometown club’, as his lifelong association with Liverpool is about to end.

Liverpool owners, FSG, though, have already identified a replacement for Jones.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have made Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton ‘a concrete target’, as the Reds could lose Jones and Alexis Mac Allister this summer.

Last season’s Premier League winners have done ‘extensive background work’ on the England international midfielder.

Encouragingly for Liverpool, Wharton is ‘open’ to leaving Palace this summer and is receptive to the idea of playing for Arne Slot’s side.

What is also good news for Liverpool is that Palace are said to be ready to sell Wharton.

The London club, who have reached the semi-finals of the Conference League this season, want £70million for the 22-year-old.

The reports come ahead of the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.

Liverpool need to win the Premier League game in order to maintain their chances of finishing in the top five and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Ahead of the Merseyside derby, Liverpool manager Arne Slot said: “It’s always a very special game, [it] doesn’t matter if it’s the 60th game being played in the stadium, but if it is the last one being played at the stadium and the first one that always makes it probably even more special if that’s even possible.

“Of course, they are in a very good place at the moment.

“It’s always special, but maybe you can add one or two per cent to it, because it’s now the first and last season it was the last [at Goodison Park].

“But it will always be a very special game for them, but definitely also for us.”