Inter Milan Pursue Curtis Jones: Liverpool's £35m Stance

Inter Milan have made their move for Curtis Jones. Liverpool’s answer, for now, is just as clear.

The Italian champions have signalled they are ready to go to £30m for the midfielder, according to the Daily Mail, but Anfield’s valuation is set higher. Liverpool see the 25-year-old as a £35m minimum asset and have already knocked back a previous offer of £21.75m.

In a market where lines often blur, this one is sharp. Inter like the player. Liverpool like him too – and they are pricing him accordingly.

Inter’s admiration meets Liverpool’s stance

Inter’s interest is not a whisper in a back room. It has been on record all summer. Sporting director Piero Ausilio has already gone public, admitting: “Curtis Jones – we are paying attention to him. We didn’t hide. We understand what the developments will be.”

Those words were not empty. Inter have now tested Liverpool’s resolve with a concrete offer and a willingness to climb, but admiration alone will not close a £5m gap.

Liverpool are not slamming the door. With Jones entering the final year of his contract, there is a logic to listening. Yet there is no sign of them folding on price. For a homegrown midfielder in his prime, with Premier League and European experience, they believe their number is justified.

If Inter want to turn interest into a serious negotiation, they know what they have to do: get closer to that £35m line.

Iraola’s Liverpool and the value of depth

Behind the numbers sits a bigger story. Liverpool are stepping into a new era under Andoni Iraola, and midfield will again be one of the most fiercely contested areas of the squad.

Jones has been a reliable squad option in recent seasons, never quite the headline act but rarely letting the level dip when called upon. With Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz all expected to play major roles in central areas, competition will be unforgiving.

That is exactly why players like Jones matter. He is local, tactically adaptable and trusted in high-pressure moments. He knows what it means to play for Liverpool. Supporters see that. So do the decision-makers who are weighing up whether the short-term cash is worth the long-term cost to squad depth.

Liverpool’s summer planning stretches beyond one transfer call. The club are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola and are actively assessing other positions, reshaping the group for Iraola’s demands. At the same time, interest has arrived for several younger players – Luke Chambers, Lewis Koumas, Calum Scanlon and Ifeanyi Ndukwe among them – after strong performances on the USA tour.

This is not a fire sale. It is a controlled reset. And Jones sits at the heart of some of the toughest decisions.

Price, pride and a pivotal call

Emotion and logic meet here. On one side, a local lad who has come through the ranks and worn the shirt with conviction. On the other, a hard-nosed assessment of value in a squad that wants to compete on multiple fronts, including the Champions League, under a new head coach who needs authority and options.

Depth wins seasons. Jones may not always start the marquee fixtures, but managers chase players they can trust to step in without the team’s level dropping. He has already shown he can do that. Replacing that profile – homegrown, experienced, tactically flexible – would not be simple or cheap.

From Liverpool’s point of view, £30m does not yet reflect that reality. £35m feels closer to the mark, even if some fans would still wince at the idea of losing him at all.

For Jones, the pull of a bigger role elsewhere would be understandable. Careers move quickly. Minutes matter. But any exit will be on Liverpool’s terms, not anyone else’s timetable.

Inter have made their play. Liverpool have drawn their line.

The next move belongs to Milan – are they willing to pay the real price of prising a homegrown midfielder out of Anfield in the first summer of a new regime?