Inter Milan's Curtis Jones Pursuit Stalls Over Liverpool's Price Tag

Inter Milan’s pursuit of Curtis Jones has hit a wall – and it is Liverpool’s price tag that has left both the Italian champions and the player’s camp stunned.

The midfielder has already given the green light to a move to San Siro and now views his Liverpool career as effectively over. Inter have identified him as a major summer target after first opening talks in January, when a deal ultimately stalled but never truly died.

Inter push, Liverpool dig in

Inter opened the bidding at around £18m (€21m, $24m) at the start of last week. Liverpool barely blinked before rejecting it.

The Nerazzurri returned with an improved package of roughly £21m (€24m, $28m). Same response. Another firm “no” from Anfield, and a clear message that the gap between the clubs remains “significant”.

That stance has landed hard in Milan. From Inter’s perspective, they are dealing for a player who is 25, entering the final 12 months of his contract and has made it clear he wants to move to Serie A. From Liverpool’s, they are dealing with a homegrown midfielder they still rate highly in a market they believe has gone wild.

The £35m question

Liverpool’s hierarchy are standing behind a valuation in the region of £35m (€40m, $46m). Internally, they point to the current inflation in the English market – highlighted by Manchester City’s willingness to commit more than £120m on Elliot Anderson – as justification.

The argument from Anfield is blunt: English, homegrown players carry a premium, and Jones is no exception. They still see “significant quality” and “plenty of value” in a player who came through their academy, even with just a year left on his deal.

Inter do not see the same landscape.

From the Italian champions’ side, Liverpool’s insistence on Premier League benchmarks makes little sense in this case. There is no domestic auction, no looming rival from within England to push the price up. Jones has set his heart on Italy and is not entertaining a move elsewhere in the Premier League.

In their view, if there is only one serious bidder and the player wants that move, Premier League valuations should not dictate the conversation. They also lean heavily on the contract situation: with 12 months remaining, they believe Liverpool’s negotiating position is weaker than the club is prepared to admit.

Player caught in the middle

Some of those frustrations are shared by Jones’ camp. Those close to the negotiations believe a fee below £30m (€34.5m, $46m) would be a fair compromise, a figure that recognises both his ability and his contractual reality.

That number sits far nearer to Inter’s thinking than Liverpool’s current demands.

What is not in doubt is the player’s intention. Jones is understood to be genuinely excited by the prospect of joining the reigning Italian champions and sees Inter as the ideal next chapter of his career.

His view is shaped by the present at Anfield as much as the future in Milan. Last season he started only 18 Premier League matches in the 2025/26 campaign and is not seen as a natural fit for the high-energy style of new manager Andoni Iraola. He is respected within the club, but he is not a guaranteed starter and there is little expectation that his role will suddenly expand under the new regime.

For a player in his mid‑twenties, that matters. The sense that his Liverpool opportunities will remain limited has only hardened his desire to move to San Siro.

Stalemate, not surrender

Despite the growing tension, nobody is walking away.

Inter have been planning this move for months and remain convinced that Jones wants the transfer badly enough to wait for it. Liverpool, for their part, are open to doing business but determined not to let an academy graduate depart for what they view as a cut‑price fee.

Right now, the distance between £21m and £35m still looks wide. But with Inter intent on pressing ahead and Jones committed to the move, further talks are expected as both sides test just how far the other is willing to bend.

Jones is not the only potential departure Liverpool are weighing up this summer, with one of Arne Slot’s most trusted players now the subject of a huge five-year proposal from Tottenham. The question at Anfield is no longer whether change is coming – it is how much homegrown talent they are prepared to cash in on before the window closes.