All the signs are pointing toward Liverpool academy product Curtis Jones leaving this summer.
The last remaining Scouser in the first team might well be on his way out of Anfield.
The first signs were evident in January, when Jones was linked to Inter Milan, as well as being identified as a target for Tottenham.
The 26-year-old was actually open to a move, and David Lynch thinks he will be again come the end of the season as he seeks a more established role.
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David Lynch is tipping Curtis Jones to leave Liverpool for more minutes
Excluding Florian Wirtz, who is more attacker than midfielder really, Jones is fourth-choice behind Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
There have been stretches under Arne Slot in which he has assumed a starting role, but he is down the pecking order most of the time. That’s unlikely to change, and his position could even be worsened by Liverpool signing a defensive midfielder.
So more minutes probably means leaving his boyhood club.
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Lynch told Anfield Index: ““He was open to the Inter idea which again you know, he could have shut that down immediately it would have got to his agents and they’d have said, ‘No, I’m Liverpool, I’m going to stay here.’ That story wouldn’t have gone anywhere.
Curtis Jones playing for Liverpool vs Inter Milan
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“So the fact that he seemed like he was open to it is a little bit of a concern really. Again you know, if he does want to go and play more frequently, Liverpool are probably not going to be able to offer that to him.”
Jones is one of Liverpool’s longest-serving players now, and someone who is valued in the dressing room and certainly in the fanbase. It’s likely his future will be determined by his own ambitions. Liverpool won’t want to lose him, but it’s hard to see them standing in his way if he does decide to seek a new challenge.
Curtis Jones would suit Serie A
The idea of seeing Jones in a Spurs shirt is unpleasant, but the reason he would be better off going to a club like Inter is mainly tactical.
Jones receives criticism for his slow tempo, often dropping deep and dictating the pace in a way that doesn’t sit well with some fans. In Italy, it would be a perfect stylistic fit.
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Declan Rice runs with the ball as Curtis Jones chases him during Liverpool's Premier League match against Arsenal at Anfield.
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
We have all seen the emergence of Scott McTominay at Napoli. Jones has the quality to make a similar leap.
I don’t particularly want him to leave, but with his Liverpool contract expiring in 2027, the time to make a decision is fast approaching.
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