Inter's Bold Midfield Plans: Koné and Jones Targeted as Frattesi Exit Looms

Cristian Chivu has not waited for Davide Frattesi to walk out the door before reshaping his midfield. Inter are already moving pieces on the board, and the plan is bold: bring in Manu Koné from Roma and Curtis Jones from Liverpool in the same summer window.

This is not a tentative enquiry. Koné has been identified as the primary domestic target, the cornerstone of Chivu’s rebuild.

The Frenchman arrived at Roma from Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2024 for €18 million plus €2 million in bonuses and has since become a regular presence in the Giallorossi midfield. Eighty-one appearances, four goals, six assists: not spectacular numbers, but the kind of steady output that underpins a team over a long season.

He is tied to Roma until June 2029 on a net salary of €2.8 million per season. That long contract gives Roma leverage, but it also creates a clear calculation in the era of financial fair play. To ease the pressure on their accounts, Roma may be ready to sacrifice a valuable asset.

Inter tried to seize that opportunity once already. They moved for Koné last August and came up empty-handed. Now they are back, this time with Chivu pushing hard and with a more sophisticated proposal on the table.

A swap could unlock everything. Roma are open to a deal that might see Carlos Augusto and/or Frattesi heading in the opposite direction, a structure that would allow both clubs to address squad needs and balance the books ahead of the summer.

Koné is the headline, but he is not the whole story.

Inter’s interest in Real Madrid talent Nico Paz has cooled, and with that dream fading, another name has come sharply into focus: Curtis Jones.

The Liverpool midfielder, who has already felt the intensity of San Siro under the Champions League lights, is viewed in Milan as a complementary piece rather than a fallback option. If Koné arrives, it would not automatically close the door on Jones. Chivu’s vision leaves room for both.

Jones is under contract at Anfield until June 2027 and earns a net salary of around €500,000 per season. For a club of Inter’s stature, that figure makes any potential deal far easier to structure from a wage perspective, especially compared to the heavy contracts that usually accompany Premier League signings.

The idea is clear: replace the outgoing Frattesi with Koné’s blend of energy and structure, then add Jones as an extra layer of creativity and depth.

If Inter can turn those ideas into signatures, Chivu’s midfield will look very different by the time the new season kicks off – and so will the balance of power in Serie A’s centre of the pitch.