Inter Transfer News: Curtis Jones in a Dispute with Liverpool; the Nerazzurri Raise Their Offer

Inter is stepping up its pursuit of Curtis Jones. After signing John Stones—who is set to join on a free transfer following his release from Manchester City—the Nerazzurri continue to shop in the Premier League and have set their sights on the English midfielder from Liverpool, who is rumored to be leaving the Reds.

The player’s behavior during Liverpool’s friendly match against Wrexham sparked controversy: at the end of the game, videos shot by fans captured Jones in a heated argument with one of the team’s charismatic leaders, Dominik Szoboszlai. The spat between the two, which lasted several minutes, is a sign of the player’s unease; his contract expires in a year, and he has not reached an agreement with the Merseyside club on a renewal.

Inter has been courting him for some time but is currently held back by the British club’s demands, which want no less than 40–50 million euros for his transfer. The argument with Szoboszlai stemmed from Szoboszlai’s gesture: when he was substituted, he handed the captain’s armband to Tsimikas instead of to Jones. Jones considered this a sign of disrespect and, at the end of the match, made his feelings clear to his captain, who responded heatedly. On social media, many fans harshly condemned Jones’s behavior.

The Nerazzurri hope to use the situation to their advantage: In January, they had a €25 million offer rejected; now Marotta and Ausilio are trying again and, according to British tabloids, have reportedly raised their bid to €35 million—much closer to the amount Liverpool is asking for. In the coming days, there could be important developments regarding the English international, who was not called up by Tuchel for the most recent World Cup.