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Curtis Jones may not be heading to Inter Milan after all.
Liverpool have rejected the Serie A champions’ latest attempt to sign the midfielder, and according to The Athletic’s James Pearce, the door to a new contract at Anfield remains firmly open under the right circumstances.
Liverpool have turned down a verbal offer of around 25 million euros from Inter for Jones, the second time this summer the Italian champions have been rebuffed in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
The bid fell well short of what Liverpool consider a fair valuation, and the response from Anfield was immediate and unambiguous.
Liverpool want around 40 million euros to sanction a sale, pointing to the similar fee Tottenham paid Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher in January as a benchmark for a player of Jones’ profile and experience.
Inter were informed that unless their valuation shifts significantly, Liverpool see no realistic pathway to a deal.
Senior figures at the club went further, telling The Athletic they would rather allow Jones to leave on a free transfer next summer than accept a cut-price agreement now.
That is the commercial backdrop.
But the more revealing detail in Pearce’s report is the one that speaks to Jones’ long-term future on Merseyside.
The condition is straightforward: bridge the gap.
Liverpool would still be keen to explore a new deal if the distance between the player’s expectations and what the club are willing to offer can be closed, though talks over a contract extension have stalled and there are currently no active discussions.
It is a situation that requires both sides to move.
Jones, who came through the academy in Kirkby and made his senior debut in 2019, is understood to have ambitions that reflect his belief in his own value, while Liverpool’s position under the Andoni Iraola era brings its own uncertainty about how central he will be to the new manager’s plans going forward.
Jones made 228 senior appearances for Liverpool and featured 49 times across all competitions last season, though he managed only 28 starts and finished the campaign operating as a makeshift right-back, a frustration that contributed to the breakdown in contract negotiations.
Inter first attempted to land Jones in the January window, when a loan proposal with an option to buy was swiftly dismissed by sporting director Richard Hughes.
Their persistence throughout this summer speaks to how highly they rate him, but Liverpool’s resolve has not wavered.
The transfer saga now enters a delicate phase.
Jones has one year remaining on his contract, which theoretically weakens Liverpool’s hand with each passing week.
But the club’s stance, as reported by The Athletic, suggests they are not panicking.
If the wage gap can be bridged in negotiations, a new chapter at Anfield remains possible.
If not, Inter will likely return with an improved offer and Liverpool will face a harder decision before the window shuts.