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Curtis Jones has spent his entire footballing life at Liverpool.
Inter Milan are now betting that this summer will be where that story ends.
Jones has been at Anfield since the age of nine.
He has grown up inside the club, worn the shirt through the highs of a title winning era and the turbulence that followed.
In December 2025 he celebrated his 200th appearance for the Reds, a milestone that felt like a statement of permanence.
Yet the reality of his situation tells a very different story.
Jones is entering the final twelve months of his contract at Anfield, and contract talks have stalled completely, with no indication that a new deal is imminent.
For a homegrown player who represents a pure capital gain for Liverpool, the clock is ticking.
The background to this transfer saga is important.
Under Arne Slot, who was dismissed at the end of last season after Liverpool surrendered their Premier League title, Jones never fully nailed down a starting role.
He made 25 starts this season and was deployed in multiple positions, including right back, underlining his versatility but also exposing a lack of clarity around his best role.
Despite the appointment of Andoni Iraola as Slot’s replacement, Jones reportedly has no intention of renewing his Liverpool contract, with sources suggesting the managerial change has not altered his view that his career would be better served elsewhere.
That is where Inter Milan enter the picture.
The Serie A champions have been circling since January, when they first made contact about a potential move.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio publicly confirmed the club’s interest earlier this year, saying, “Curtis Jones, we are paying attention to him.”
“We didn’t hide.”
“We understand what the developments will be.”
The pursuit was postponed in January, but now it is back in earnest.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are preparing to return with a significantly improved proposal, having already seen a first bid of €20 million dismissed by Liverpool out of hand.
Their latest offer is understood to be worth €25 million, though Liverpool continue to hold firm on a valuation of €30 million, with some senior Merseyside journalists putting the figure even higher at around £35 million.
To sweeten the deal, Tuttosport reports that Inter are prepared to offer Liverpool a strong resale percentage clause as part of any agreement, a tactic designed to bridge the gap without fully meeting Liverpool’s headline demands.
There is a personal element to this story too.
Federico Chiesa, Jones’s current Liverpool teammate, revealed that the Scouser had been asking him about life in Italy.
“Jones asked me what life is like in Italy,”
Chiesa said. “I told him it’s great and the weather is better than Liverpool.”
The urgency from Inter’s side is clear.
Davide Frattesi faces an uncertain future at San Siro, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in the twilight of his career, leaving a significant void in the Nerazzurri’s midfield engine room.
Jones, tactically flexible and still only 25, fits the profile they are searching for.
For Liverpool, the calculation is uncomfortable.
Losing a local boy who has given everything to the club is never easy, particularly in a summer already defined by the departures of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate.
But if the contract situation is not resolved, the alternative is allowing him to leave for nothing in twelve months.
The next offer from Inter may well be the final one.