Liverpool have rejected a second bid from Inter Milan for Curtis Jones – a £21m offer dismissed as falling so far short of their valuation that the club’s top brass no longer consider the Serie A side serious contenders for the midfielder.
The latest proposal, reported as £21m, comes weeks after a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) was turned down. Both are well shy of the £35m Liverpool believe Jones is worth, a figure they say reflects fair market value following Conor Gallagher’s move from Atletico Madrid to Tottenham in January.
“Liverpool have rejected a second bid from Inter Milan for Curtis Jones, with the club growing frustrated at the Serie A side's repeated low offers.”
With Jones having only one year left on his contract, and no negotiations over an extension underway, the impasse has left the Anfield hierarchy frustrated. Sporting director Richard Hughes is said to have little appetite for further discussions after Inter indicated they would not exceed £21.7m.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has made no secret of his interest. “Curtis Jones – we are paying attention to him,” he said this month. “We didn’t hide. We understand what the developments will be.” Federico Chiesa, the Liverpool winger, went as far as telling Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that Jones asked him what it is like to live in Italy.
Yet despite the overtures, Liverpool’s stance is firm. The club also rejected a loan-to-buy approach from Inter in January. Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes a move to Serie A could benefit Jones. “I think if Liverpool can’t give him that I think he then looks at other pastures,” Heskey told LiveFootballTickets. “You look at Scott McTominay who has gone on to play in Italy and he’s been lauded for it. He’s actually changed the way people look at him as a footballer, and I think Curtis has got the ability to do that.”
While the Jones saga drags on, Liverpool have been active elsewhere. The club confirmed the signing of Spain winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna earlier this month, triggering his £34.5m release clause after hijacking Newcastle’s move. Munoz, 22, described by La Liga expert Phil Minshull as “one of the pearls of Spanish football”, has signed a six-year deal.
At the same time, Liverpool have told RB Leipzig they will pay a package worth about £86m for 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in the Bundesliga last season. Leipzig want more – potentially in excess of £112m if Diomande impresses at the World Cup – but Liverpool are in pole position, with Paris St-Germain yet to make an offer.
For Jones, the path forward remains unclear. Liverpool value him, but not enough to meet his contract demands. Inter want him, but not enough to meet Liverpool’s price. And with each rejected bid, the frustration on Merseyside only deepens.