Curtis Jones Transfer Saga: Inter Milan Faces Stalemate with Liverpool

Inter Milan’s long flirtation with Curtis Jones is drifting towards an unhappy ending – not because the Italian champions have lost interest, but because Liverpool refuse to blink.

The Serie A club have tracked the 25-year-old for months, sensing an opportunity as the midfielder moves into the final year of his contract at Anfield. From Inter’s perspective, this was supposed to be the moment to strike: a talented, homegrown Premier League player, one year from free agency, with Liverpool open to a sale to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.

The numbers, though, are killing the deal.

Inter saw an opening in January. They tried to prise Jones away with a loan offer including an option to buy. Liverpool didn’t hesitate. The answer was no. No loan, no option, no negotiation.

That rejection didn’t cool Inter’s interest. Their recruitment team kept Jones high on their list and reopened talks in recent weeks, this time with a permanent move on the table. An offer of €25 million (around £21.7m) went in. Liverpool pushed it straight back, making it clear they rate the midfielder closer to £35m.

At that point, the stand-off hardened into something more serious.

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has now admitted, publicly and bluntly, that the gap may be too big to close.

“I’ve never denied that we like Curtis Jones,” he said. “He has the qualities that could give us something extra. But there’s a significant gap between our valuation and Liverpool’s.

“Liverpool have every right to ask for what they believe is a fair price, and we have every right to decide whether that works for us or not. As things stand, I’d say it’s very difficult.”

That last line lands like a verdict. Inter still admire the player, but they are not prepared to stretch to Liverpool’s figure for someone who can walk away for free in a year’s time. Liverpool, for their part, are sending a clear message: discount or distress sale is not on the table, contract situation or not.

The stalemate comes at a moment when Jones’s future is attracting attention across the Premier League. He is not short of suitors, but the options are not all equally appealing.

Nottingham Forest, in the market for a midfielder after agreeing to sell Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for £116m, have registered their interest. Jones, though, is believed not to be keen on a move to the City Ground. The project doesn’t tempt him in the same way as a club competing at the top end of the table or in Europe.

That is where the plot thickens. Aston Villa and Arsenal have both been linked with the Liverpool man during the window, clubs whose recent trajectories and ambitions might align more closely with Jones’s own aspirations. For now, those links remain just that – links, not bids – but they add a layer of intrigue to a market that already feels on edge.

So the situation stands like this: Liverpool have a midfielder entering the final 12 months of his deal, a player they are willing to sell but only on their terms. Inter have identified him as a piece that could elevate their squad, yet refuse to be drawn into what they see as an inflated auction. Forest wait in the wings, without the player’s enthusiasm. Villa and Arsenal hover in the background.

Something has to give. Either Liverpool soften, Inter return with a higher offer, or a new club steps in to test that £35m valuation.

For now, Curtis Jones sits at the centre of a transfer battle that has stalled, his next move still unwritten while the clock on his Liverpool contract keeps ticking.