Liverpool do not need to sell Curtis Jones. That is precisely why this transfer stand-off matters.
Inter Milan’s interest has not disappeared, Nottingham Forest are now being linked with a domestic move, and Jones is entering the final year of his contract.
On paper, that combination usually weakens the selling club. In reality, Liverpool’s response should be a test of whether the new Anfield structure can protect value when the market is trying to sense panic.
The numbers frame the issue sharply. The Guardian reported in May that Liverpool valued Jones at around £35m, while DaveOCKOP reported that Inter’s €25m verbal offer was rejected and that Piero Ausilio has publicly acknowledged a major valuation gap.
For a 25-year-old academy graduate with European experience, that gap is not a detail. It is the whole story.
Why Liverpool cannot let Inter Milan set the price
Inter’s pursuit is understandable. Jones is press-resistant, tactically flexible and technically secure enough to operate in a midfield that values control over chaos. He can receive under pressure, carry through the first line and play as either an advanced No.8 or a deeper connector. Serie A would suit many of those qualities.
But admiration is not a valuation. Liverpool have already seen what happens when elite clubs attempt to buy Premier League-ready depth at discount rates because a contract is running down. The danger is not simply losing Jones. The danger is telling the market that Anfield will fold once a player reaches his final 12 months.
That is why the reported £35m-£40m range is logical, not emotional. Jones has made more than 200 senior appearances for Liverpool, carries homegrown value, and still sits in an age bracket where a buying club is purchasing prime years rather than decline management. If Inter cannot get close, Liverpool should not be embarrassed by keeping him.
There is also a football reason to hold firm. ReadLiverpoolFC has already covered Liverpool rejecting Inter’s previous offer, but the next stage is bigger than a single bid.
Andoni Iraola inherits a midfield that needs runners, rotation and positional intelligence. Jones may not be untouchable, yet he is exactly the type of multi-role player who can survive a tactical reset.
Forest interest changes the leverage
Forest’s reported interest is the twist that should alter Liverpool’s calculation. A Premier League buyer with a direct need in midfield changes the temperature of the market. Inter can sell the glamour of San Siro, Champions League football and a fresh technical environment. Forest can test the price in a league where domestic premiums are already inflated.
That does not mean Jones should be pushed toward the City Ground. It means Liverpool now have a stronger reason to resist Inter’s low ceiling.
If Forest are genuinely prepared to shop in the £35m-£40m bracket, the Italian route cannot remain the benchmark.
The contract situation still carries risk. Liverpool could end up keeping Jones, failing to agree fresh terms and watching the fee collapse next summer.
Yet there is a difference between managing risk and accepting a weak offer. The correct position is simple: either secure a proper domestic-level fee now, or give Iraola the chance to reintegrate a player whose profile still has obvious squad value.
Liverpool’s summer has already shown an appetite for decisive business, with the club confirming the signing of Victor Munoz from Osasuna. Jones is the other side of that same recruitment discipline. Buying well matters. Selling properly matters just as much.
If Inter want Liverpool’s only Scouse first-team midfielder, the price has to reflect more than his contract clock. It has to reflect his value to the squad Liverpool still need to build.
