Curtis Jones next steps after Liverpool flatly reject Inter's second transfer bid

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The ECHO's panel assesses what Liverpool should do over Curtis Jones after Inter had a bid of £21.7m rejected over the weekend Liverpool FC correspondent, Mark Jones Liverpool Content Editor - Sport and Richard Garnett Central Audience Sport Content Editor01:00, 23 Jun 2026Liverpool have turned down an offer worth £21.7m for Curtis Jones from Italian champions Inter.The Reds believe their Academy graduate is worth closer to £35m and have benchmarked the fee against the transfer that saw Conor Gallagher trade Atletico Madrid for Tottenham Hotspur in January.Liverpool have no interest in agreeing to deal that far below the valuation of Jones and are content to risk losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season rather than offload him on the cheap this summer.But what should Liverpool do regarding the 25-year-old? The ECHO's Liverpool writers assess the lay of the land and give their own verdicts.Paul GorstArne Slot hinted back in February, after Inter had made initial contact in the January window, that talks were afoot between Jones's representatives and Liverpool over a new contract.However, it appears those discussions have hit a brick wall and are currently inactive.

Or do they do a deal at a significantly cut-price fee?Judging by the figures being bandied about for Premier League midfielders, like Elliot Anderson (£100m) and Sandro Tonali (£75m), Jones, at less than £22m, would be a steal for the Serie A giants.For Liverpool, it would clearly cost to effectively replace Jones, so offloading him now rather than taking the time decide on a proper successor for next year feels counterproductive at a time when so much needs doing this summer.Liverpool are already thinking about spending upwards of £86m on RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande, so the need to replace a Jones-shaped hole in the squad would eat up a lot of the budget going off the market rate for elite midfielders.Keeping him for the season ahead, where he has a clean slate under Andoni Irola, feels like the best course of action here. Curtis Jones shouldn't be allowed to be a fourth.While it is hugely understanable that Jones would want to consider a fresh start at Inter Milan, everyone is in the same boat at Anfield this summer.

It is a clean slate for all under Andoni Iraola, and Jones can be an important player for the new Reds boss.An addition is needed to the ranks in midfield regardless of what happens with Jones, and I for one am looking forward to seeing if Trey Nyoni can continue with his development as there is an exciting player there, but none of that means Jones should be allowed to leave on the cheap.Liverpool would only have a hard time replacing him, especially given the fees that are currently out there, so I'd be doing everything I could to keep him around.Richard GarnettI think it's safe to say that a move to Inter Milan is something that appeals to Curtis Jones, otherwise the Serie A champions would not be continuing with their pursuit of a player it would appear they believe they can mould into the next Scott McTominay-style success story.But with the club's currently poles apart in terms how they value Liverpool's midfielder, there is certainly a strong argument for Jones to stay put in his native city.Despite making 228 appearances for the Reds across seven and a bit seasons, the 25-year-old has never been able to truly cement a place in the starting XI, something that he obviously feels he deserves and could command at the San Siro.But under Andoni Iraola, he could be offered a fresh start and a chance to prove to the new manager that he has the tool box to be a part of the Spaniard's refreshed midfield. It makes sense for Liverpool to hold onto a home-grown player while they revamp the squad in other areas, but has Jones already got his heart set on a move to northern Italy?If he has and there's no going back then it's down to the Reds to get as near to their £35m valuation of a player with just over 12 months left on his contract and bid him farewell.But when Liverpool lose Jones they are also waving goodbye to the remaining Scouse heartbeat of this current crop and if it is not him who carries that responsibility forward then Iraola must look at what he's got coming through locally, if the team is to retain an element of its true identity.Inter could have a great player on their hands who is well suited to Italian football, but if they are serious about Jones, they should offer serious money and stop wasting everyone's time, not least Jones himself.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!