Curtis Jones is set to leave Liverpool to join Italian champions Inter Milan in a £30m transfer after 228 first-team appearances for the club. The England international's future has been the subject of speculation throughout the summer, with Jones having just one year left on his contract at Anfield. The 25-year-old, despite making 49 appearances in all competitions last term, has seemingly decided he is keen to take on a new challenge.
Second Fiddle at Anfield
While Jones has been a regular, the feeling in the last 12 months has been that he has always been playing second fiddle, with Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai all preferred in the battle for central midfield places. Of his 34 Premier League appearances last term, only 16 were starts.
Now, with his contract situation and the emergence of another homegrown youngster in Trey Nyoni, who impressed on the pre-season tour, plus the presence of Florian Wirtz and the returning Harvey Elliott, Jones is set to depart.
Inter Milan Deal Close
Inter have been the No.1 contenders throughout the summer looking to take Jones, adding to an increasing English presence at San Siro, with John Stones and Djed Spence having both made the move also. A number of bids had been rejected, but now, after selling David Frattesi to Lazio and making room, negotiations over a £30m move have picked up once more, with a deal now believed to be very close between the two parties.
Jones missed the final two friendlies of Liverpool's pre-season schedule, against Monaco and Como, with a hip problem cited as the reason, despite the Academy graduate featuring in team training at the AXA Centre in Kirkby.
Contract Concerns
Liverpool have been very wary about Jones' contract status and are reluctant to allow another high-profile player to walk away as a free agent after the end-of-season departures of Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.
