Inter Milan Pursues Curtis Jones: Liverpool's Firm Stance

Inter Milan have come back for Curtis Jones. Liverpool still aren’t picking up the phone unless the number starts with 4.

The Serie A champions have revived their pursuit of the Liverpool midfielder as they look to add fresh legs to Simone Inzaghi’s engine room before the new season. Their interest never really went away; it’s their offer that has had to move.

An initial bid of around €25 million was swiftly rejected earlier in the summer. Liverpool’s response was blunt: Jones is closer to a €40 million player. Since then, Inter have edged nearer, returning via intermediaries with a proposal worth €35 million. Nearer, but not near enough.

Liverpool’s stance has barely flickered. The Premier League club are described as having little appetite for trimming their valuation, even with Jones now into the final year of his contract at Anfield. The message is clear: they will not be bounced into a sale.

Liverpool dig in

This is not a typical “contract running down, cash in while you can” situation. Club officials are understood to be prepared to let the clock tick towards 2027 and risk losing Jones for nothing rather than accept what they see as a cut‑price fee for one of their longest-serving first‑team players.

Inside the club, comparisons have been drawn with Tottenham Hotspur’s €40 million signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid earlier this year, a deal Liverpool have pointed to as a benchmark for Jones’ market value. If Gallagher commands that figure, Liverpool argue, Jones should sit in the same bracket.

So far, nothing from Italy has matched that line in the sand.

Inter’s long game

Inter’s admiration is hardly a summer fling. The Nerazzurri tested the waters in January with a different structure, proposing an initial loan with an option to buy. Liverpool shut that down without a second thought.

Now the Italians are back with a permanent move in mind. Fresh from another title-winning campaign and with an eye on refreshing their midfield, Jones has emerged again as a key target: a technically clean, tactically flexible option for a side that dominates the ball in Serie A.

But admiration doesn’t close deals. Money does, and at the moment the gap between what Inter are willing to pay and what Liverpool will accept remains stubborn.

A homegrown pillar

Jones is not just another squad player to Liverpool. He is a product of their academy, a local midfielder who has spent his entire professional career at the club after coming through the ranks at Kirkby.

Since his senior debut in 2019, he has amassed more than 220 appearances, quietly building a reputation as a dependable presence. He has chipped in with goals, provided assists, and, crucially for successive managers, offered versatility across several midfield roles.

His technical security, ability to retain the ball under pressure and comfort operating in different zones of the pitch have helped him stay relevant even as Liverpool’s midfield has been overhauled around him. In a squad increasingly shaped by big-money signings, Jones remains a homegrown constant.

Contract on hold, stance unchanged

There are no active talks over a contract extension right now. Liverpool, though, are understood to be open to sitting back down at the table if the right framework can be found later on.

For the moment, the priority is simple: keep Jones unless Inter pay the number on the tag.

Inter have made their move. They have raised their offer. The door at Anfield, however, only opens at €40 million. The question now is whether the Italian champions push once more – or walk away from a midfielder Liverpool are in no hurry to lose.