Liverpool stun Curtis Jones, Inter Milan with star’s valuation after second bid rejected | OneFootball

Inter Milan and Curtis Jones are reported to have been left stunned by Liverpool’s valuation of the midfielder after seeing a second offer rejected, with a potential stand-off ready to unfold.

The England midfielder was heavily linked with a switch to Inter during the January transfer window after the Serie A giants held talks over a potential deal. Despite a move failing to come to fruition, Cristian Chivu’s men have continued their pursuit and have now made him one of their major summer targets.

Jones is already reported to have agreed a move to the San Siro, especially with Liverpool actively looking to add fresh midfield talent, which has made the 25-year-old feel as if his time on Merseyside could be up.

The Italian champions stepped up their pursuit of Jones at the start of last week with an opening offer worth around £18million (€21m, $24m), but that approach was swiftly dismissed by Liverpool.

Inter responded with an improved package worth approximately £21million (€24m, $28m), only for that proposal to also be rejected – and now our friends over at TEAMtalk can reveal that the gap between the two clubs remains ‘significant’.

Jones is entering the final 12 months of his current contract at Anfield and has already made it clear that his ‘preference is to leave the club‘ as Inter continue to lurk.

However, Liverpool’s stance has ‘come as a major surprise in Italy’ and a ‘compromise will need to be reached if a full agreement is to go through’.

Liverpool set Jones asking price

The TEAMtalk report claims the Reds are ‘standing firm on a valuation of around £35million (€40m, $46m)’ for Jones and believe the current state of the English transfer market – now inflated by Manchester City’s plans to spend £120m-plus on Elliot Anderson – ‘fully justifies that figure despite Jones’ contract situation’.

It’s claimed that the ‘premium attached to homegrown English talent’, alongside Jones being a ‘player of significant quality with plenty of value’ is driving Liverpool’s thinking when it comes to the player’s future.

The TT report goes on to add that Inter believe ‘Liverpool’s reliance on Premier League market conditions is difficult to understand’ given the circumstances surrounding the player.

Indeed, their argument is a simple one, in that ‘Jones has made it clear that he wants to move to Italy and is not considering a switch elsewhere in England’, meaning there is ‘no domestic bidding war driving up his value’.

As a result, Inter believe ‘Premier League valuations should not dictate negotiations’.

Jones’ camp are understood to ‘share some of those sentiments’. They indicate the England midfielder’s representatives believe a ‘fee below £30million (€34.5m, $46m) would represent a fair compromise’, taking into account both his quality and his contractual situation.

As things stand, there remains a sizeable difference between the clubs’ respective valuations.

However, with Jones fully committed to the move and Inter keen to press ahead, it’s reported that ‘further talks are expected’ as both sides ‘attempt to bridge the gap’.