Liverpool's Transfer Dilemma: Keeping Curtis Jones Amid Interest
Liverpool’s summer window has been noisy without being especially busy. Three signings through the door, a dozen more names thrown at the rumour mill, and still no clear sense of what the next big move will be.
The club’s recruitment team continue to circle targets. Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola sit high on the list, but Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are miles apart on price for both players, so talks have stalled before they’ve really started. The market feels stuck.
Yet the real threat to Liverpool’s plans might not be who they can’t buy, but who they could lose.
Inter’s midfield shuffle drags Newcastle – and Liverpool – into the same story
TEAMtalk report that Inter Milan have started to move pieces around their midfield, and Newcastle United have been pulled into the picture.
Inter, looking to raise funds, have offered Davide Frattesi to Newcastle, with intermediaries making it clear to the Premier League club that the 26-year-old is available. Newcastle have also asked about Aleksandar Stankovic as they search for reinforcements after Bruno Guimaraes’ departure and a failed attempt to land Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Marseille.
Inter value Frattesi at around €30 million (£26m / $35m). Juventus are credited with an interest, and Frattesi is said to be open to a move to England after previous Premier League attention.
The key detail for Liverpool sits underneath all of that: Inter are understood to be freeing up space and cash to go after Curtis Jones. The Serie A champions, TEAMtalk say, remain determined to bring the Liverpool midfielder to San Siro.
If Newcastle take one of Inter’s midfielders off their hands, the Italian club would be in a stronger position to push for Jones. That is where Liverpool’s carefully sketched transfer plans could start to fray.
Jones: in the shop window, in the final year
Inside Anfield, Jones is the name most likely to leave this summer. His contract is into its final year, and there have been no serious talks yet about an extension. That silence speaks loudly.
With only 12 months left on his deal, Liverpool know they will not get anything close to a peak-value fee. The club’s valuation of the 23-year-old is currently the main obstacle to any agreement. Interested sides see a player running down his contract; Liverpool see a homegrown midfielder entering his prime.
Inter’s interest changes the equation. A sale of Frattesi, or a reshaping of their midfield via Newcastle, would give them the financial muscle to test Liverpool’s resolve on Jones. If that bid lands and Liverpool accept, the club would suddenly need to rip up their current transfer priorities and find another midfielder before the window shuts.
A risky hole to open in Iraola’s midfield
On paper, Liverpool’s midfield looks crowded. In reality, it’s fragile.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister struggled to convince over the course of last season. The depth is there in numbers, but the reliability and form are still under scrutiny. In that context, Jones is more than just another name on the teamsheet; he is a stylistic fit and a tactical asset.
For Andoni Iraola, keeping Jones should sit near the top of the to-do list. The Englishman’s energy, press resistance and ability to link phases suit the high-intensity, front-foot football the Spaniard wants. In a squad that the new manager has already described as unfit, players who can handle repeated substitutions and maintain tempo carry extra value.
There is another complication. Jones’ own trust in the project has reportedly taken a hit after Arne Slot’s failure to give him regular minutes last term. If the player no longer feels central to the club’s plans, convincing him to sign a new deal becomes a far tougher sell.
So Liverpool stand at an awkward crossroads. Lose Jones now and they bank a fee but open a hole in a midfield that already raises questions. Keep him without a new contract and they risk losing him for far less – or for nothing – down the line.
Inter are circling. Newcastle have been handed options that could help unlock the Italian club’s move. Liverpool, for all the noise about Mbaye and Barcola, may soon find that the most important decision of their summer is not who arrives, but whether they dare let Curtis Jones walk out of Anfield at all.
