Inter reopens the Curtis Jones question, but Liverpool's price remains the key obstacle
Inter Milan is once again considering signing Curtis Jones from Liverpool in the 2026 summer transfer window, and the entire case is increasingly coming down to the relationship between sporting interest, contractual pressure and the price the English club can justify on the market. According to a report by The Guardian, the Italian champion intends to renew its interest in the 25-year-old English midfielder, who is entering the final twelve months of his contract at Anfield. The same source states that talks about extending his cooperation with Liverpool have been going on for months, but that no agreement has been reached, which opens room for negotiations as early as this summer. According to The Guardian, Liverpool values Jones at around 35 million pounds, despite the fact that from January 2027 the player could negotiate a pre-contract with clubs outside England. For Inter, therefore, the key assessment is whether the price can be lowered to a level that would be acceptable in relation to his contractual situation and sporting status at Liverpool.
Jones's position is particularly interesting because he does not fit the classic profile of a player the club wants to get rid of. He is a footballer who came through Liverpool's academy, an England international and a player with enough experience at the highest level to be attractive to clubs from several leagues. On the other hand, according to the available information, his role in the team is not stable enough to claim with certainty that he will remain one of the central players in Liverpool's project. In such circumstances Inter sees an opportunity, but not an easy task. The amount of compensation, competition from other interested clubs and Liverpool's need to protect the player's value make the negotiations more complex than the mere fact that the contract expires on 30 June 2027 would suggest.
A contract until 2027 puts pressure on all sides
According to Transfermarkt data, Jones's current contract with Liverpool is valid until 30 June 2027, and he signed his latest extension on 17 November 2022. Liverpool then officially announced that the player, who formally joined the club's academy at U9 level, had extended his connection with the club where he has built his entire professional career. That biographical dimension is important for understanding the case because Jones is not only a market asset, but also a local player who has symbolic value for the club. Liverpool's official profile states that by December 2025 he had reached the mark of 200 appearances for the first team, which additionally shows that he is not a fringe member of the squad without a significant history at the club. Precisely for that reason, a potential sale would not be only a technical decision about the balance sheet, but also a signal about the direction in which the club wants to shape its midfield.
However, contractual mathematics in modern football rarely allows prolonged waiting. If a player enters the final year of his contract, the club most often faces a choice: agree an extension, accept an offer while there is still significant market value or risk losing him without compensation. According to The Guardian, an agreement on a new contract has not been reached for now, and Inter already showed interest in Jones in January. If the negotiations do not move forward, Liverpool will have to decide how much one more season of a player who can leave for free in the summer of 2027 is worth to them. For Jones, meanwhile, the question is not only financial but also sporting, because at the age of 25 he should be entering a period of his career in which regular minutes and a clear position become decisive.
Inter is looking for reinforcements for a team that has just won Serie A
Inter enters the negotiations from the position of a club that again won the Italian league title in May 2026. CBS Sports reported that Cristian Chivu's team confirmed the title with a victory against Parma and thus reached its 21st Italian championship title. The same source states that Inter's season was marked by a return of confidence after the disappointment in the 2025 Champions League final, as well as by the fact that Chivu took over the team after Simone Inzaghi's departure. That is important context because a club that has just won the league is not necessarily looking for an urgent solution to a crisis, but rather a targeted reinforcement to maintain its level and expand the rotation. Jones fits into such a picture as a player who can cover several roles in midfield, but also as a footballer whose age would allow a longer-term return on investment.
The Italian Gazzetta dello Sport reported at the end of May that Jones has one of the clearest outlines among Inter's targets, noting that the club is also following other options in parallel. In another report, the same newspaper stated that a meeting had been held in Monte Carlo between Inter representatives and the Liverpool side, but that a final agreement had not been reached. Gazzetta also reported that the gap between the requested amount and Inter's offer is gradually narrowing, although questions remain open about the structure of the deal, including a possible percentage of a future sale. Such details often decide transfers of players who have only one year of contract left, because the selling club tries to retain part of the long-term value if the initial compensation is lower. Inter therefore must not only convince Liverpool about the size of the fee, but also propose a model that reduces the English club's risk of selling too low.
Why Jones is attractive to Inter
Jones's greatest value for Inter could be the combination of technical security, tactical flexibility and experience in the competitive environment of the Premier League. According to the official Premier League profile, Jones has recorded 153 appearances, 11 goals and 10 assists in the English championship, which is a serious sample for a player who has not yet turned 26. Transfermarkt lists him as a central midfielder, with the possibility of playing in a more offensive and more defensive midfield role, which matches the profile of a player who can give the coach several solutions during a long season. Inter's team under Chivu, according to reports about the Serie A title won, had a broad base of quality, so Jones in such a system could be imagined as a rotation reinforcement, and not necessarily as an automatically irreplaceable starter. Precisely that difference can be decisive in negotiations with a player who, according to reports, wants a clearer and more stable role.
The sporting appeal of Serie A for Jones should not be reduced only to Inter's reputation. The Italian league, especially in clubs that fight for the title and play in the Champions League, often offers midfielders a tactically very demanding environment in which control of rhythm, timely opening of space and discipline without the ball are valued. Jones has already shown at Liverpool that he can play in different zones, but the problem is that such versatility sometimes reduces the clarity of his status. According to The Guardian, at the end of the season he was also used as an emergency solution at right-back, which confirms his adaptability, but also suggests that he did not always have a stable position in midfield. Such a profile would be useful for Inter, but for the player the most important thing would be to receive assurance that he is not being brought in merely as a universal backup.
Liverpool must weigh the sporting and financial sides
Liverpool's valuation of around 35 million pounds has logic if one looks at age, experience, homegrown status and the fact that Jones is already established in the Premier League. However, the same price becomes more demanding when one takes into account that the contract expires in a little more than a year from 8 June 2026. The Guardian therefore emphasized that this value could be an obstacle for Inter, which could count on time gradually reducing Liverpool's negotiating strength. If the English club wants to maintain a firm position, it would have to either reopen the path toward a contract extension or convince interested clubs that Jones's quality and market profile justify the price regardless of the contract term. Otherwise, the summer transfer window could become a period in which offers are lower than initial expectations.
From Liverpool's side, there is also a sporting argument for him staying. The official club profile describes Jones as a versatile midfielder who came from the academy to the senior team and won six major trophies, including two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup. Such a player knows the demands of the club, the rhythm of English football and the pressure of playing at Anfield, which is not easy to replace on the market. If Liverpool sells him, it would have to find or develop a replacement who brings a similar combination of homegrown status, experience and the ability to cover several positions. If it keeps him without extending the contract, it risks the same problem repeating itself under even less favorable conditions in January or the summer of 2027.
Jones's international perspective further increases the importance of minutes
Jones is not only a club project, but also a player who has already entered the senior England international picture. The English Football Association states in its official profile that he went through the youth national selections, played for the U16, U17, U18, U19 and U21 teams and was part of the generation that won the 2023 U21 European Championship. In November 2024, Liverpool announced that Jones scored on his senior debut for England in a 3:0 victory against Greece in Athens. Transfermarkt currently lists him with six appearances and one goal for the senior national team. In years when competition in the English midfield is constantly changing, regular club minutes can be decisive for maintaining international status.
For that reason, a potential move to Inter also has a broader dimension. If Jones were to get more minutes in midfield in Milan, he could strengthen his position with the national team coach and show that he can succeed outside the familiar environment of the Premier League. If, however, he found himself in a similar situation as at Liverpool, with frequent changes of role and a limited number of starts, the transfer would not necessarily solve the problem that, according to reports, burdens him the most. FootyStats states that in the 2025/26 Premier League he recorded 34 appearances, 18 starts and 1930 minutes, with one goal and two assists. Those data show that Jones was not without a role, but also that he was not a regular starter to the extent a player of his experience and ambitions might expect.
The January attempt shows that the interest is not new
Inter's interest did not arise only on the eve of the summer transfer window. In February, Football Italia reported a statement by agent Giuseppe Riso according to which Davide Frattesi's potential departure from Inter to Nottingham Forest stalled partly because Liverpool did not let Jones go. According to that statement, Liverpool's decision to keep Jones influenced the outcome of negotiations around Frattesi, which shows that the two stories were already touching at that time. In January, Liverpool had a stronger reason to keep the player because the season was underway and the possibility of finding a replacement was limited. Summer, however, changes the dynamic because clubs have more time for planning, and Jones enters the final year of his contract.
Football Italia reported in May, citing Gazzetta dello Sport, that Jones prefers Inter over some other interested clubs, including Aston Villa and Newcastle. Such claims should for now be treated as media information, not as official confirmation of the player's intentions, because neither Liverpool nor Inter has announced an agreement. Still, the fact that the same player's name has appeared in multiple reports over several months points to continuity of interest. For Inter, that is an advantage because it already knows the player's profile and the possible terms of negotiations, but also a challenge because every new report can increase the attention of competitors. For Liverpool, the advantage is that the interest is not limited to one potential buyer, but at the same time it must be careful that negotiations do not enter a phase in which the contract begins to seriously drive down the price.
The biggest unknown remains Inter's willingness to pay Liverpool's price
At this moment there is no official confirmation that the transfer has been agreed, nor is it clear whether Inter is ready to reach Liverpool's valuation. According to the available information, the Italian club is considering Jones as a realistic option, but at the same time is also monitoring other midfielders, which gives it the possibility of applying pressure in negotiations. Liverpool, on the other hand, can emphasize Jones's age, Premier League experience, international status and the fact that he is a player from its own academy. But the market rarely pays full price for a player who has not agreed an extension and is entering the final year of his contract. Therefore the final outcome will most likely depend on the structure of the offer, additional bonuses and possible percentages from a future sale, and not only on the nominal fee.
For Jones, the summer of 2026 is turning into an important point in his career. Staying at Liverpool would have emotional and sporting weight, especially if the club offered a clearer role and a new contract. A move to Inter would bring a new environment, a fight for trophies in Italy and the possibility of proving himself in a different tactical system. According to information available on 8 June 2026, the negotiations have not been completed, and Liverpool's price of around 35 million pounds remains the main question. Until official confirmation appears, the Curtis Jones case remains one of the more interesting transfer processes on the border between loyalty to his parent club, ambition for a bigger role and the market logic of the final year of a contract.
Sources:
- The Guardian – report on Inter's interest, Jones's contract, negotiations with Liverpool and valuation of around 35 million pounds (link)
- Liverpool FC – official announcement of the 2022 contract extension and data on Jones's development through the club academy (link)
- Liverpool FC – official player profile, club appearances, trophies and biographical data (link)
- Transfermarkt – data on contract expiry, market value, position and international performance (link)
- Premier League – official profile and overall statistics of Curtis Jones in the English championship (link)
- England Football – official international profile and data on Jones's development through England selections (link)
- Gazzetta dello Sport – report on Inter's interest, the meeting in Monte Carlo and the structure of a possible agreement (link)
- Gazzetta dello Sport – report on Jones as one of Inter's most concrete targets ahead of the summer transfer window (link)
- Football Italia – report on agent Giuseppe Riso's claim that Liverpool stopped Jones's departure in January, which affected Davide Frattesi's situation (link)
- Football Italia – report on media claims that Jones prefers Inter ahead of other interested clubs (link)
- CBS Sports – report on Inter winning the 2025/26 Serie A title under Cristian Chivu (link)
- FootyStats – detailed statistics of Jones's 2025/26 Premier League season, including appearances, minutes, goals and assists (link)