Liverpool and Curtis Jones may still part ways this summer despite recent claims that he is no longer for sale after an impasse in recent negotiations with Inter Milan.
After weeks of talks, Inter did little to convince Liverpool a deal would be done under the conditions they hoped for. According to Fabrizio Romano, reporting via his YouTube channel, Liverpool were not willing to accept low offers for a homegrown player as they take inspiration from Spurs.
He explained: “Liverpool are following a very English line of reasoning. In England, Van Hecke, who is a very good central defender for Brighton, but he is still a central defender for Brighton, he is not Maradona, was sold to Tottenham a couple of days ago for 52 million pounds plus 20% of the resale value, which means a valuation well over 60 million euros if we factor in the player’s resale value.
“We’re talking about a centre-back whose contract expires in a year.
“Imagine Curtis Jones, who is also a homegrown player, meaning he’s very useful on English clubs’ lists because he grew up in an English youth academy. So this is a situation that leads Liverpool to make much higher demands than Inter’s valuations.”
Liverpool stance on Curtis Jones may be shifting
Now, a fresh claim from La Gazzetta dello Sport has suggested that there is still life in Inter Milan’s hopes to sign Jones.
The report reads: “Indeed, they hope the Reds will be convinced it’s better to settle for an offer perhaps around €25-30 million rather than lose Jones for free in a few months, when the Englishman will officially be free to reach a pre-agreement with any club other than Liverpool.
“Another detail not to be underestimated is the player’s willingness, with whom Inter already have a draft agreement.
“He firmly believes his time in England is over and, above all, is intrigued by the prospect of experiencing something outside the Premier League for the first time.”
Liverpool’s Curtis Jones conundrum
The only problem not solved by the idea of ‘just keeping Jones this summer’ is Jones’ own desires. The Scouser has shown a very clear desire to leave the club – a decision his own and quite understandable.
If he doesn’t see his career at Anfield anymore – the lack of minutes, fresh uncertainty at Liverpool, his age and young family are use case examples – then it would be prudent to let him leave.
So far, I have advocated for Jones despite the recent transfer rumours, but if keeping him solves squad depth issues but causes unrest in the squad somewhere else, it doesn’t help. Jones is a professional and there is zero chance he would cause unhappiness, but if he’s not in Andoni Iraola’s ideas for the starting XI, I think it now suits all parties to let him leave.
