Inter Milan Sets Deadline for Curtis Jones Transfer from Liverpool
Inter Milan have circled a date on the calendar and pushed it across the table to Liverpool. They want Curtis Jones in Germany by July 16. Now it’s on the Anfield hierarchy to decide how hard they want to hold the line.
The Serie A champions have already received the midfielder’s approval for a summer move, with TEAMtalk reporting earlier this month that Jones has said yes to the switch. Inter are working off a valuation in the region of €20m. Liverpool are not.
At Anfield, the number is closer to €30m, and they want more than just a straight fee. The club are keen to bank the full value of any sale and lock in a percentage of Jones’ future resale, a typical move for a club that knows the market and the risk of selling a 23-year-old English midfielder too cheaply.
Gazzetta Dello Sport report that Inter’s plan is clear: have Jones “available in Germany starting July 16th”, when they want a near-complete squad at Chivu’s disposal for pre-season, minus their World Cup contingent. The Italian side are already juggling a bloated group — “stuck with around 20 players” — but remain relaxed, leaning on the player’s willingness to join and the fact his contract has just a year left.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are trying to navigate a summer that is beginning to feel like a reset.
Konaté and Robertson have already walked out the door on free transfers, heading to Real Madrid and Tottenham respectively. Mohamed Salah has publicly confirmed his intention to move on, with Saudi Arabia or another destination waiting. Now Jones and Alexis Mac Allister are among those attracting serious interest from abroad.
The tension is obvious. Lose too many core players and a squad can unravel. Refuse to sell at the right time and you risk watching assets depreciate or leave for nothing. That’s the tightrope Liverpool are on, and Inter know it.
For now, the Italian champions are “confident in reaching an agreement”, according to Gazzetta, but they are also working to a clock. Chivu will start pre-season with most of his group present — “both the ‘old’ and the new players” — and Inter want Jones to be one of those new faces, fully integrated before the competitive fixtures begin.
Liverpool must decide whether €30m and a sell-on clause are non-negotiable, or whether the pressure of that July 16 deadline, and their own need to reinvest, forces a compromise.
Ayari cools Liverpool talk from inside the ‘World Cup bubble’
While Jones’ future is being pushed from the outside, another name linked with Liverpool is doing his best to shut the noise out.
Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari has been mentioned as a potential target after impressing in Sweden’s opening match of the tournament. His performances have caught the eye, but the player insists he is not getting dragged into transfer chatter.
Asked by Fotbollskanalen about talk of negotiations with Liverpool, Ayari was blunt: “I’m in the World Cup bubble, as they say. I don’t have a clue about anything. Everyone else is taking care of it for me. I’m just here and focusing on the World Cup.”
It’s the classic answer from a player on a big stage, but it rings true enough. Ayari has plenty on his plate with his national team, and Brighton have already moved in a way that underlines their long-term plan around him.
The Seagulls have signed Zadok Yohanna from Ayari’s old club AIK Fotboll, and the 21-year-old is already talking like a senior figure ready to help the teenager find his feet.
“It will be fun,” Ayari said. “I haven’t seen much of him in the Swedish league, but it will be fun to start and see how he goes.
“I will take care of him, but many people will take care of him. It’s a family club, so it should go well.”
Brighton’s model is clear: buy young, develop, sell smart. Liverpool know that playbook well; they used to be the ones plucking rising talents from clubs like Brighton. Now they’re being linked with one of the next in line.
As Inter push hard to land Jones and Liverpool weigh up how far they can stretch their demands, the picture is stark. One midfielder may be edging towards the exit if the numbers line up. Another, Ayari, insists he is locked into the here and now of a World Cup campaign.
The market will decide how much of Liverpool’s next midfield takes shape in Milan, on the south coast, or somewhere entirely different. The clock on Inter’s deadline is already ticking.
