Fabrizio Romano dropped a bomb on Wednesday afternoon, revealing Liverpool reached a ‘verbal agreement’ to send Curtis Jones to Inter Milan for £30 million. A medical’s already being planned for the midfielder to head to the San Siro, even though The Athletic says an ‘agreement is not yet in place.’ This whole thing feels like a punch to the gut for a lot of fans, and honestly, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
No Choice But To Let Him Go?
James Pearce, writing for The Athletic, straight up said Liverpool ‘had little option’ but to sanction Jones’ exit, with a ‘sense of inevitability’ hanging over the 25-year-old’s departure all summer. Think about it: he was in the final 12 months of his contract and openly keen on joining Inter. Talks over an extension had ‘long since stalled,’ and when he didn’t even feature in those recent games against Monaco and Como, well, that was it, wasn’t it? It’s a huge bummer losing the only local guy, the ‘only Scouser’ established in Iraola’s first-team squad, and you know that’s gotta sting for supporters. But if he wants out, what’s the club supposed to do?
The Real Cost of Letting Jones Walk
Here’s the kicker: the club would feel they had no alternative. Flat-out refusing to sell him would have meant an unhappy player on their hands, and Liverpool ran the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer. We just saw that nightmare play out with Mo Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate this year. While many believe Jones is worth way more than £30 million in today’s market, getting that cash now is definitely better than watching him walk for nothing in 2027, especially since extending his contract seemed like a pipe dream.
So, where does this leave them? Jones’ exit absolutely lessens the midfield depth. If Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, or Alexis Mac Allister get sidelined for any significant length of time, their options in the middle of the park would feel ‘worryingly light’ this season. Sporting director Richard Hughes has got his work cut out for him, needing to pull a rabbit out of the hat and bring in a replacement for the Italy-bound midfielder, not to mention reinforcing the Reds’ attack, all with just two weeks left in the transfer window. This is where he earns his money, big time.
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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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