Report: European giants ready to pay £25m to sign Liverpool star this summer | OneFootball

Curtis Jones to Inter Milan: Liverpool Face a Familiar Contract Squeeze

Curtis Jones and Liverpool are edging towards a point where sentiment counts for very little. Football is full of these situations. Local lad, academy product, decent player, useful in several roles, still only 25. Then the contract starts running down and the conversation changes. It becomes about leverage, timing and who blinks first.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan remain firmly in the hunt for the Liverpool midfielder, even if talks are currently stuck. Their offer has gone to around €20m, Liverpool want something close to £35m, and that gap matters. It tells you both clubs think time is on their side.

Inter Milan Strategy Around Curtis Jones

Inter are doing what smart clubs do. They are not charging in blindly. They are managing other deals first, then preparing to circle back. Ivan Provedel and Anan Khalaili are part of that wider planning, but Jones appears to be the priority midfield target. The report states, “To date, the situation remains somewhat stalled and isn’t expected to be particularly short, considering that Inter sent in their offer of around €20 million, “exploiting” his contract expiring next year, but Liverpool simultaneously turned him down, demanding nearly double that,” the report reads.

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That is blunt and, frankly, unsurprising. Inter know Jones can enter the final stretch of his deal and squeeze Liverpool’s options. Liverpool know selling a homegrown England international for a modest fee is a bad look, especially after years of talking about succession planning and squad value.

Liverpool Contract Problem Grows

This is where the issue becomes more serious. Jones is under contract until summer 2027, which means from next summer he can leave for nothing. That weakens Liverpool’s hand, particularly if the player has already decided he wants out. The report goes further and says Inter believe £25m, or more accurately €25m to €30m, could eventually get it done as the market shifts later in the window.

Liverpool have just changed head coach, with Andoni Iraola now in place after Arne Slot’s exit at the end of May. In theory, that should create uncertainty and opportunity for players on the fringes. In reality, if Jones has not convinced successive managers that he belongs in the first-choice midfield, then a fresh start may suit everyone.

Draft Agreement Changes Negotiation

The biggest detail is not the opening bid. It is the player’s position. Gazzetta says, “Another detail not to be underestimated is the player’s willingness, with whom Inter already have a draft agreement.” It adds, “He firmly believes his time in England is over and, above all, is intrigued by the prospect of experiencing something outside the Premier League for the first time.

“With two key pieces of the Nerazzurri puzzle in place, Inter will be able to decisively return to Jones. Everyone’s favorite.”

If that is accurate, Liverpool are not negotiating from strength. Once a player has mentally checked out, clubs rarely recover full value. Jones still has quality, he can carry the ball, press, and keep possession under pressure. But Liverpool now need to decide whether to hold out for £35m on principle, or cut a deal before the market cuts one for them.

Our View

From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this is maddening because it feels avoidable. Curtis Jones is not some random squad player who drifted in from nowhere. He is one of our own, a player who should have been handled with more clarity years ago. Either commit to him properly, build him into the midfield, and get him tied down, or sell when the value is strongest. What you cannot do is drift into a contract stand-off and act surprised when a club like Inter starts sniffing around.

The really annoying part is the likely fee. If Liverpool end up taking around €25m to €30m for a 25-year-old homegrown midfielder with Premier League and European experience, that is poor business. No point dressing it up. Market conditions matter, contract length matters, player intent matters, but top clubs are supposed to stay ahead of these situations, not react to them when they become messy.

And if Jones truly wants to go, fine. No hard feelings. Careers move on. But Liverpool have to stop making life harder for themselves in negotiations. Supporters can accept sales. What they hate is seeing value leak away through hesitation. If this report is accurate, then Inter have read the situation perfectly and Liverpool have left themselves exposed again.