Curtis Jones to end 16-year Liverpool stay after reaching 'agreement in principle' to exit
Inter Milan are preparing a renewed attempt to sign Curtis Jones, with Liverpool expected to face another significant call before the transfer window closes.
This news has hardly come out of the blue. It has felt inevitable that Curtis Jones will leave Liverpool pretty much all summer, but this feeling has only been ramped up in the last week or so, with a move now seemingly close.
The 25 year old played exactly 45 minutes during all three of the Reds' pre-season fixtures in the United States, these against Sunderland, Wrexham and then Leeds United.
However, since Andoni Iraola's team have returned to Merseyside, the England international has been nowhere to be seen.
He was inauspiciously not even among the substitutes for last Sunday's 3-2 defeat against Monaco, purportedly not risked due to a hip injury. A week later, as the Reds beat Como 2-0, also at Anfield, Jones was not in the squad again, this time with no explanation, fictitious or otherwise, provided.
Well, we might now know why this was the case. As reported by Italian journalist Nicolò Schira, Jones has reached an "agreement in principle" with Internazionale Milano, adding that the Serie A champions "are now ready to submit a new bid" as they attempt to sign the midfield.
The Nerazzurri have previously seen a €25 million bid rejected, but previous reports claim they are willing to go as high as €35 million, with the Reds holding out for closer to €40 million. Inter's need for a new midfielder increased over the weekend, after Davide Frattesi joined Lazio on loan with a €15 million option to buy included.
To fuel the speculation further, eagle eyed online Liverpool fans noticed that Jones has started following Inter centre-back Alessandro Bastoni on Instagram, with the Italian following him back. He is set to become the latest Englishman to swap the Premier League for Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Members of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad John Stones and Djed Spence have already joined the Nerazzurri this summer. Ashley Young won a Scudetto with Inter under Antonio Conte while, before that, Paul Ince spent a season in Milan in the late-90s, prior to joining Liverpool. Before any of that, Gerry Hitchens was the first Englishman to don the famous black and blue stripped shirt, doing so in the early-60s.
For Liverpool, selling Jones for a sizeable fee will help bolster the Bradley Barcola fund, with the Reds and Paris Saint-Germain seemingly still quite far apart on valuation. While Jones is not in Iraola's plans, and never truly been a first-choice player, it is never nice for fans to see one of their own sold, but that is about to become the reality.
