Liverpool have rejected a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) from Inter Milan for midfielder Curtis Jones, with the Italian club’s second approach this year falling well short of the £35m valuation the Merseyside club have placed on the 25-year-old.
Jones, who joined Liverpool’s academy aged nine and signed his first professional contract in 2018, now has only one year left on his current deal at Anfield. Inter’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, admitted: “Curtis Jones - we are paying attention to him. We didn’t hide. We understand what the developments will be.” Federico Chiesa even told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that Jones asked him what it is like to live in Italy.
“Liverpool reject Inter's £21.7m bid for Jones as Diomande picks PSG over Liverpool.”
But Liverpool are unwilling to sanction a cut-price exit, and the rejection leaves the door open for Nottingham Forest, who are eyeing Jones as a target. Talksport reports that Liverpool value the England midfielder in the region of £40m, a figure well above what Inter offered.
Meanwhile, Liverpool face disappointment on another front as Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande has chosen Paris St-Germain as his next destination if the 19-year-old leaves RB Leipzig this summer, despite reported interest from Liverpool and Real Madrid, according to the Athletic.
Monaco’s French midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, 25, has also told Liverpool and Manchester United that his priority is to join Paris St-Germain this summer, per Teamtalk.
Elsewhere in the transfer market, Manchester United’s Mason Mount, 27, has been offered to AC Milan for a potential reunion with former United manager Ruben Amorim, though the Manchester Evening News reports no contact has been made between the clubs. Arsenal, the Premier League champions, are looking to add five more players this summer with Leicester City’s 16-year-old English winger Jeremy Monga among their targets, according to the Star.
Aston Villa are behind Leeds United in the race to sign Japan’s 23-year-old goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Serie A side Parma, reports Calciomercato. Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto has agreed to join Manchester City as the 23-year-old France international eyes a reunion with former manager Enzo Maresca, per Footmercato. Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka’s personal terms with Chelsea are guaranteed, with the Switzerland international, 33, driving the transfer as he wants to live in London and reunite with Xabi Alonso, reports Fabrizio Romano. Juventus have added Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 33, to their list of summer transfer targets, according to Tuttomercatoweb.