Only way Curtis Jones can leave Liverpool revealed by Romano as five factors tipped to influence decision | OneFootball

Curtis Jones has a big decision to make on his Liverpool contract situation that could alter his long-term and short-term future after it was revealed as the main factor blocking his loan move to Inter Milan.

Inter have made a move for Jones this week as a potential replacement for Davide Frattesi, who Nottingham Forest are trying to sign in the aftermath of Douglas Luiz’s failed loan spell at the City Ground. However, Liverpool are reluctant to let Jones go, even though he personally would be intrigued by the move to Italy.

TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey confirmed on Saturday that Liverpool have no intention of weakening themselves midway through the season.

And Fabrizio Romano has elaborated that the crux of the issue with Jones is down to his contract situation. There are only 18 months left on his current deal and Liverpool don’t want to get themselves into a position where he returns from a loan spell with only a year left on his deal.

Inter’s offer for Jones was for a loan with an option to buy for €40m (£34.6m). However, it would only be an option and not an obligation, which means the midfielder might have just been back at Liverpool at the end of the season anyway.

And despite his pedigree, it might become a struggle for Liverpool to attract that kind of fee as his contract runs down.

Therefore, Romano has explained that Liverpool won’t let Jones leave on loan without signing a new contract first.

It raises a question over what Jones should decide. Does he commit to Liverpool to open up other options in the short term, knowing he might return to a midfield department where he wouldn’t be at the top of the hierarchy? Or does he wait and assess his options for the long term as they crop up?

As a boyhood Liverpool fan, Jones doesn’t seem like the type to act outside of the club’s best interests. But the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation from this time last year may still be echoing around Anfield as a cautionary tale.

So, what factors will Jones have to take into account before deciding on whether to sign a new contract or not?

One-club man opportunity

Every young footballer’s dream is to be able to play for the club they support. That’s something Jones has now done more than 200 times, but why wouldn’t he want to continue?

Playing for Liverpool should be the epitome of what he wants to achieve in his career and if he continues to progress, he could venture towards becoming a one-club man, which would surely earn him appreciation in a modern game where similar examples are becoming increasingly rare.

Trophy cabinet

So far in his Liverpool career, Jones has won the Premier League twice – more so as an important player last season than the first time around in 2019-20 – as well as picking up a couple of other medals.

Footballers are judged on their medal collections at the end of the day. Liverpool have been having a bit of an off season, but are still usually expected to compete for trophies.

Jones would undeniably enjoy being a part of that. Inter aside, the type of club he might appeal to – such as previous suitors Tottenham – might not be as competitive when it comes to honours as Liverpool (at least for the clubs he would be considered as a regular starter for).

Managerial uncertainty

One of the reasons that was blamed for Alexander-Arnold not committing his future to Liverpool was uncertainty over which manager would replace Jurgen Klopp.

And Jones may have some doubts over who will be in charge of Liverpool in the coming years that would be covered by a new contract, given the pressure Arne Slot has faced this season.

It could be that Liverpool’s next manager, whenever that time comes, sees Jones in a better light than Slot does, or it could be that his role would dwindle.

Interestingly, there have been whispers of a fall-out between Jones and Slot recently, although it remains to be seen how much truth there is in that.

Free-agent appeal

If Jones decides it’s time for a new challenge, then Inter might not be his only option if he bides his time.

Of course, they are an attractive one, but players tend to attract a wider range of clubs the closer they get to becoming a free agent.

Jones could put his future into his own hands by waiting until 2027 to leave Liverpool.

World Cup hopes

Jones has an outside chance of making it to the World Cup this summer. So far, he has six England caps to his name, having made his international debut in 2024.

To get into Thomas Tuchel’s squad, Jones will need to be playing regularly over the second half of the season. He will need to assess if that would be more likely at Liverpool – where he has started 10 Premier League games this season – or somewhere else.

If the answer is elsewhere, Jones may have to put pen to paper with Liverpool to be able to get out on a short-term basis.