Fabrizio Romano reveals Curtis Jones could leave Liverpool this summer as contract talks stall. Despite Arne Slot’srecent praise, Inter Milan are leading the race for the €35m-rated Scouser
Curtis Jones is fully embedded into Liverpool history. He has won several major honours in his career, whilst being a product of the academy, and one of the few local lads who can claim they have lifted a Premier League title with the Reds.
He embodies the club’s heart in the dressing room, yet his flair on the pitch remains a point of contention while his footwork is undeniably world-class, it hasn’t quite shielded him from the polarised opinions of the digital world of social media.
Therefore, it comes as a shock that the club are considering selling the 25-year-old this summer, with many European heavyweights maintaining a keen eye on how this develops.
Transfer Journalist Fabrizio Romano took to social media to report on a recent update regarding Jones, and it doesn’t look good for fans of the midfielder.
He said, “Curtis Jones could leave Liverpool in the summer as talks over a new deal have been stalling.
“Inter (Milan) have been interested since January and remain keen.”
A winter deadline day move was close to being in the works for Jones, amid late pressure from the Italian giants to tempt him away from Merseyside.
It’s been a difficult season to navigate for the Englishman. He’s featured 30 times in the Premier League, though a huge chunk of those have come from the bench.
In those early, optimistic months of the Dutchman’s tenure, Jones appeared to be the very heartbeat of that transition. Slot placed an immense amount of capital in the Scouser’s ability to retain possession in the tightest of spaces, viewing him not just as a squad player, but as a technical cornerstone.
It was a period defined by an unwavering faith a belief that the academy graduate was finally ready to transition from a dazzling prospect to an undisputed starter.
However, in the volatile world of elite-level football, twelve months is a lifetime. The once-unshakeable synergy between head coach and midfielder has visibly cooled, as the iron-clad trust that defined Slot’s debut campaign has seemingly begun to erode.
While the public rhetoric remains supportive, the cold hard facts of the team sheet suggest a different story. The frequency of Jones name in the starting XI has dwindled, replaced by a sense of tactical peripheralism that has left both the player and the fanbase questioning where he fits into the long-term project at Anfield.
This perceived cooling of relations hasn’t gone unnoticed on the continent. With contract negotiations currently hitting a significant impasse and just over a year left on his deal, the silence from the boardroom is becoming deafening.
For a player who climbed the ranks from Kirby to the Premier League podium, the prospect of being cast aside to balance the Profit and Sustainability books is a bitter pill to swallow.
Yet, as Inter Milan intensify their interest, the reality is clear: the unwavering faith of yesteryear has been replaced by a summer of profound uncertainty.
The Reds need reinforcements in the middle of the park this summer, an area of the squad which has been conquered far too easily on a matchday; therefore, to open space for new faces, Jones could be one of those cast aside.
As the Italian reporter stated, his contract is closing in on its conclusion, with just over a year left on his current deal. He is one of many players whose deals have yet to be resolved.
With no certainty over playing times or a future at the club, it isn’t much of a surprise when placed into his shoes that a move may be entertained this summer.
It’s believed that the Reds would look for a significant fee this summer, in the range of €35 million, though it does beg the question of whether this a smart move by the club, or a move to provide extra leverage over Premier League Profit and Sustainability constraints.
The Anfield outfit will require another big summer spending spree to rival last year’s £450 million war chest if they are to compete with the best in Europe.
As the season comes to a close, time is running out for a conclusion to be met between the Liverpool board and the scouser, which could widen the door for an exit this summer.
What Arne Slot said about the Liverpudlian
In the build-up to this Sunday fixture with Manchester United, the Reds head coach had plenty to discuss in his press conference, with one of the points on the agenda about Jones.
What the Dutchman had to say about the 25-year-old paints a slightly different picture to the one that Romano reported on.
He said, “What we always know is he shows great personality, never afraid to take risks, he has to adjust a little bit in the last line, but it is also a quality he can bring himself out. Usually, the ball is safe in the hands with Curits”.
The 48-year-old isn’t going to speak to the media and immediately say that he is leaving the club this summer, but these comments make it a bit more optimistic for fans who enjoy the quality of the midfielder.
Liverpool have serious issues at right back, with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong not only suffering injuries but also demonstrating a lack of brilliance on the field this year.
Dominik Szoboszlai has heavily featured there throughout the campaign, but so has Jones, and he’s delivered a fine job when called upon; whether that is a future plan, it is yet to be seen.
His profile would match that of what is required of a modern-day fullback, a player capable of driving the ball forwards and looking for dangerous areas of the pitch, whilst maintaining a physical strong figure when in a defensive phase.
It’s always heartbreaking to see a local lad go, but with Jones, it would be even greater, as excellence normally shines through; supporters just haven’t been able to see it as much as they would like this year.
