Curtis Jones could finally be set to bring the curtain down on his Anfield journey, with Inter Milan striking an agreement to sign the Liverpool midfielder.
The Serie A giants have maintained a long-standing admiration for the Scouse academy graduate, and negotiations between the two clubs have now culminated in a deal that paves the way for his departure to Italy.
After spending 16 years on the books at Liverpool having first walked through the academy gates at U9 level back in 2010 the 25-year-old looks poised to embark on a fresh chapter in Milan as the Reds continue to streamline their squad options under head coach Andoni Iraola.
Curtis Jones' Liverpool exit has felt inevitable all summer long, but is now close to being made officially official.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the 25 year old's move to Internazionale Milano is close to being finalised. A fee of €35 million, around £30 million, has been agreed by the two clubs, with the England international set to travel to Italy for a medical.
As already alluded to, this deal has felt in the pipeline for months. Nottingham Forest did show interest in Jones earlier in the summer, seeking an Elliot Anderson replacement, but a move to the Serie A champions always appeared to be far more likely.
Jones has been with the club for 16 years, joining his boyhood club at the age of nine. Since then, he has made 228 senior appearances for the Reds, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League. His jaw-dropping winner in the FA Cup Merseyside derby, still only a teenager at the time, will never be forgotten.
PICK THAT OUT 💥
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 5, 2021
A year ago, @curtisjr_10 scored a stunner to knock Everton out of the #EmiratesFACup! pic.twitter.com/zsbG54y82q
Once at San Siro, Jones will link up with international teammates Djed Spence and John Stones, who have both also signed for the Nerazzurri this summer. They will become the sixth Englishman to wear the famous black and blue stripes shirt at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, after Paul Ince, Ashley Young and Gerry Hitchens. He could of course return to Anfield very soon, depending on if Inter and Liverpool are paired against each other in next Thursday's Champions League draw.
A £30 million fee seems like sensible business, but is this the right decision?
Are Liverpool right to sell Curtis Jones?
The make up of Andoni Iraola's midfield remains one of the biggest question marks ahead of the season opener at St James' Park on Sunday. It is forecast that the Reds' first-choice midfield trio will be Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz, with Alexis Mac Allister the other player in contention for serious minutes.
Below that, not a lot of depth. Harvey Elliott is back, but is he really a central midfielder? Meantime, both Wataru Endō and Stefan Bajčetić could depart and, if they do, Iraola would be putting a lot of faith in youngsters Trey Nyoni and James McConnell. Without Jones, their midfield options look a little bit light for a team planning on playing around 60 matches this season.
Thus, while it was pretty clear that the scouser was not in the new head coaches' plans, and they are getting a decent fee, this could come back to bite them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google