Inter Milan are closing in on a €35m (£30m) deal for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. Liverpool rejected a €25m (£21.7m) verbal offer from Inter in June, with the Reds valuing the 25-year-old at around £35m.
Jones has one year remaining on his contract. A £30m package is now expected to be enough for the clubs to reach an agreement.
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According to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, Inter’s offer also includes a 10% sell-on clause for Liverpool. Inter previously tried to sign Jones on loan with an option to buy in January, but Liverpool rejected the proposal.
Jones has racked up 228 appearances for Liverpool since making his debut under Jurgen Klopp in 2019. He featured 49 times last season but made just 18 Premier League starts and struggled to secure a regular place in Arne Slot’s midfield.
The 25-year-old joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of nine and is understood to be keen on a new challenge. If the move goes through, he would become the third English player to join Inter this summer after John Stones and Djed Spence.
Jones missed Liverpool’s final two pre-season friendlies against Monaco and Como with a hip problem, despite training at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby.
In July, new head coach Andoni Iraola expressed his desire to tie Jones down to a new contract and discuss his long-term plans.
“I rate Curtis very highly,” Iraola said. “For me he is a great, great player and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing.
“It’s very important that he’s Scouse; that he’s from here. I also like the personality. From the outside at least he looks like a player with good character and I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time.”
However, with just one year remaining on his deal, Liverpool are reluctant to risk losing another high-profile player for free, following the departures of Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.