As Liverpool prepare for a busy summer transfer window, there is a growing expectation that some key stars could leave the club in favour of new signings.
The squad shake-up has already begun, with Andy Robetson and Mohamed Salah among the important players who have already left, while Ibrahima Konate turned down a contract extension and looks set to join Real Madrid as a free agent.
There could be others within the Liverpool ranks who could fetch a decent fee, which will help the Reds reinvest them in several areas across the team for new boss Andoni Iraola.
Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa are among the potential exits, alongside Curtis Jones who could leave as he enters the final year of his contract.
Recent reports have stated that Liverpool are in talks with Inter Milan over a move, but it's a switch that could prove to be a mistake from the Merseyside club.
Curtis Jones Transfer Mistake
Curtis Jones
Jones appears to be nearing a potential exit from Liverpool, which makes sense when you consider the fact that he is entering the final year of his deal and the club may wish to reinvest any funds raised into the squad elsewhere.
However, it could prove to be a mistake for several reasons, the main one being the current state of the midfield market in comparison to offering a new deal.
Current target Alex Scott is said to be valued at £80 million if he is to leave Bournemouth this summer, while that remains on the lower end of the current scale.
Other options, such as Adam Wharton, Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson, have been quoted in the £100 million range, a fee that is at the extreme ends of the transfer landscape.
However, it goes to show how difficult it would be to invest wisely in a replacement, as well as how valuable these players are currently viewed as in the market.
Jones is a very capable player in his own right, finding it easy to evade pressure when building up from the back and capable of circulating play when needed.
At 25 years old, the academy graduate is still not at his peak, even though he has already been described as "incredible" during his time playing for the England national team.
He also has the potential to improve and become better, while he knows exactly what it means to be a Liverpool player having grown up around the club.
A mixture of those market factors and the quality of Jones shows that it would be a no-brainer to offer a new contract to the star, even if that comes with the promise of more game time.
However, as it appears, things seem to be moving towards a potential sale, which would be a mistake for all the reasons listed above.
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Liverpool Contract Problems
Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones
The contract situation that could lead to an exit for Jones underlines an ongoing issue Liverpool have faced in recent seasons surrounding the management of the squad.
The Reds have consistently failed to be proactive when it comes to the deals players are on, partially due to some of the chaos off the pitch that has come with the changing of sporting directors and managers.
Key stars in the peak of their career have moved on for free in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate, while the likes of Virgil van Djik and Mohamed Salah have been allowed to run their own deals into the final year in the last 12 months or so.
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The latest challenge will be to think ahead beyond 2027, when contracts for Jones, Alisson Becker, and Van Dijk are set to expire, to get on top of the issues that are present.
Liverpool have already lost out because of those contract problems, and they could miss out again if Jones is forced to leave.