Curtis Jones came through Liverpool’s academy and made his first-team debut at 17
Curtis Jones is set to join Inter Milan after the Italian side agreed a deal worth 35m euros (£30m) with Liverpool.
The Reds have accepted an offer worth €30m euros (£25.7m) plus €5m euros (£4.3m) in add-ons for the midfielder.
Jones, 25, will travel to Italy on Thursday to complete a medical. The transfer agreement includes a 10% sell-on clause for Liverpool.
In June, Liverpool rejected a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) from the Serie A champions, with the Premier League side valuing the 25-year-old, who had one year left on his contract, at about £35m.
More recently, Liverpool suggested that something in line with the £30m package that Inter paid Tottenham for Djed Spence would probably mean a deal being struck.
Inter were interested in Jones in January and proposed a loan with a view to a transfer, but that was turned down by Liverpool.
Jones has made 228 appearances for Liverpool since making his debut under Jurgen Klopp in 2019.
Last season, he played 49 times in all competitions but only made 18 starts in the Premier League and struggled to secure a regular starting spot in midfield under Arne Slot.
Jones, who joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of nine, is understood to be keen on pursuing a new challenge and would become the third English player to join Inter this summer, after John Stones and Spence.
Jones wanted to explore a new opportunity in Italy and Liverpool did not want to stand in his way.
Last summer, it was Trent Alexander-Arnold who left his boyhood club for Real Madrid and this summer, Jones who has done the same, although his destination is Italy and Milan.
From Liverpool’s perspective, a £30m package represents good value as Jones only had one year left on his current deal.
Selling Jones also generates immediate pure profit on a home-grown asset. It was either now, sell him for less in January, or he leaves for free next summer.
On the pitch, Jones was versatile enough to play in a number of positions but he struggled to make one role his own. Off the pitch, Jones has always been honest and someone willing to take responsibility.
He played 95 games for Liverpool in two seasons under former boss Slot so his presence as a solid squad option will be missed under the Dutchman’s replacement Andoni Iraola, but it will give an opportunity for 19-year-old Trey Nyoni, who impressed in pre-season, to step up.
“I rate Curtis very highly,” Iraola said in his first news conference after taking charge of the Reds, adding he wanted Jones to stay and “continue performing the way he has been performing”.
He also highlighted that the player is a local lad - “he’s Scouse, he’s from here” - but with Jones now on his way it means Liverpool will have no Scousers in their first-team squad. The effect of that remains to be seen.