Inter Milan Pursues Curtis Jones as Liverpool Weigh Summer Sale
Inter Milan have stepped up their pursuit of Curtis Jones, with the Serie A champions working to strike a deal for the Liverpool midfielder before the transfer window closes, according to sources.
The 25-year-old is open to the move. After years on the fringes at Anfield, he wants to be more than a rotation option. The lure of San Siro, and a starting role in a side built to compete deep in Europe, has turned his head.
At Liverpool, the numbers tell a mixed story. Jones featured in 34 Premier League games last season, yet only 18 of those came from the start as Andoni Iraola’s side laboured to a fifth-place finish. He was present, but not central. Trusted, but not indispensable.
That lack of prominence carried a cost. When Thomas Tuchel named his England squad for the 2026 World Cup, Jones was left out. For a player who once looked like the next homegrown pillar of Liverpool’s midfield, the omission underlined where he now stands in the pecking order for both club and country.
If Liverpool and Inter can agree a fee, Jones is on course to become the club’s first major outgoing of the summer. So far, Iraola has reshaped his squad through arrivals alone; no significant sale has yet funded the rebuild. Jones could be the first to go through that door.
A career that never quite broke through the ceiling
Jones’ story at Liverpool has been one of steady involvement without a decisive breakthrough. Since his debut in the 2018-19 season, he has edged his way from academy hopeful to regular squad member, clocking at least 34 appearances in all competitions in four of the last six campaigns.
He has medals to show for it. A Premier League title. Domestic cups. Big nights under the lights. He has contributed, often tidily, sometimes impressively, to a team operating at the sharp end of English and European football.
Yet he has never quite become the player Liverpool built a midfield around.
The underlying data from last season underlines why the debate around his future feels so finely balanced. As of 5 August, figures from Fotmob show Jones averaging 0.05 goals per game, with a 0.13 xG, 1.07 shots, 0.09 assists and 0.98 chances created. He won 4.76 duels per match with a 50.7 per cent success rate, alongside 1.87 tackles and 0.84 interceptions.
Solid. Functional. But in a Liverpool midfield now judged against the high-impact profiles of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, those numbers do not jump off the page. Szoboszlai offers clear attacking punch. Gravenberch brings stronger defensive presence. Jones sits somewhere in between, without dominating either side of the ball.
For many at Anfield, that is precisely why a sale would not shock. A popular academy graduate, yes, but not an untouchable.
Inter’s opportunity, Liverpool’s decision
From Inter’s perspective, this is a chance to pick up a technically clean, tactically schooled midfielder entering his prime, one who has lived inside the pressure cooker of a club like Liverpool. For Jones, it is a chance to reset his career narrative – not as the nearly-man in a stacked midfield, but as a central figure in a new system.
For Liverpool, the equation is colder. With Iraola reshaping the squad, moving on a player who has never fully nailed down a starting role could free up both funds and minutes. The club has not yet sanctioned a major departure for a fee this summer; Jones may become the first test of how ruthless this new era is willing to be.
And he is unlikely to be the last name in the frame.
Gakpo interest grows as forward line evolves
Tottenham Hotspur have identified Cody Gakpo as a leading target as they look to strengthen their attack. The Dutch forward’s status at Liverpool faces fresh scrutiny after the arrival of Victor Munoz, with Bradley Barcola also strongly linked with a move to Anfield.
If both Munoz and potentially Barcola slot into Iraola’s plans, Gakpo’s role could narrow, opening a window for Spurs to move. Tottenham see an opportunity to add a versatile, goal-threatening forward, and are ready to pounce if Liverpool show any willingness to negotiate.
For now, nothing is settled. Inter are still working on Curtis Jones. Spurs are circling around Gakpo. Iraola and Liverpool’s hierarchy must decide who is expendable, who is essential, and how bold they are prepared to be in reshaping a squad that fell short of the top four.
One thing is clear: once the first major sale goes through, the rest of Liverpool’s summer could move very quickly.
