Liverpool are set to sanction two sales in the coming days, with deals agreed for academy graduates Curtis Jones and Ifeanyi Ndukwe to leave the club.
Jones has been on Liverpool’s books for 16 years, but is set to call time on his spell with the club after the Reds reached consensus with Inter Milan for his permanent transfer.
Jones move to Inter Milan agreed
Per reports in The Athletic, the Nerazzurri will pay €30m up front for the 25-year-old, with €5m available in further performance-based add-ons. Jones has been given permission to travel for a medical.
Inter’s interest in Jones has been rumbling away throughout the summer, and they saw a €25m bid rejected in June. Jones will become the third player to move to the San Siro from the Premier League this summer, following Tottenham’s Djed Spence and Manchester City’s John Stones, who signed as a free agent.
Jones will depart the club having made 228 appearances and scored 22 goals in his near two-decade spell. He played a prominent role through to the end of his stint with the club, appearing in all but four of Liverpool’s Premier League fixtures last season and making 18 starts.
Ndukwe loan to Levante
Ndukwe, meanwhile, is due to join Levante on a one-season loan with no buy option, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, despite impressing through pre-season and being widely considered ready for first-team action.
That is down to the fact Ndukwe, a native Austrian, is ineligible for a work permit and thus cannot play professionally in the United Kingdom. It is hoped he will accrue enough experience to be eligible for first-team action after his spell at Levante.
Ndukwe has been caught on camera at the club’s training ground arriving to undergo his medical.
It will be a frustrating exit for Ndukwe, who might have played a not insignificant role in the first team this season amid their defensive fitness worries. Joe Gomez is already ruled out for the opening weeks of the season, and it remains unclear when Giovanni Leoni will be ready for top-flight action. There has been some relief in the centre of defence, though, with Jeremy Jacquet scoring on his debut for the club last week and Ronald Araujo arriving on loan from Barcelona.
Liverpool continue squad strengthening
Liverpool are continuing to work on adding strength to their squad, with talks over a deal for Bradley Barcola ongoing.
