Gazzetta: Inter advances Jones transfer, bidding 20 million Euros

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Internazionale is accelerating its pursuit of Curtis Jones.

On Thursday, Chivu visited Internazionale's headquarters on Viale della Liberazione in the afternoon. This trip involved club-level affairs, but at this stage, even if the transfer market were kept out the door, it would sneak in through the window.

It is no secret that Palestra is highly admired by the Romanian coach; it is also well known that negotiating with Atalanta is not easy. Everyone at Internazionale considers the winger an absolute priority for next season, but he is unlikely to be the first signing in the new round of acquisitions. Internazionale will only launch an offensive against Atalanta at the right time, and time might even prove to be their best ally.

If nothing unexpected happens, another signing might materialize earlier. This deal is more exotic but strategically no less significant. Among all of Internazionale's targets, Curtis Jones's profile is currently the clearest. Chivu greatly admires this distinctive English player, and he is also meticulously looking for players with different characteristics from the current squad. A "versatile" midfielder like Jones is currently not present at Internazionale's training ground.

The Internazionale coaching staff's admiration for Jones is not recent. As early as January, everyone was already anticipating this "gift" from Liverpool. However, conditions were not ripe at the time, and the other party was more assertive; six months later, the situation seems less complicated.

The midfielder, under Slot, now has only one year left on his contract and cannot guarantee the stable playing time he expects at the English powerhouse he deeply loves. For this reason, he is ready to embrace a new life in Italy and Internazionale's plans with a positive attitude. Jones is already very familiar with the Internazionale project and prefers Internazionale over the financially strong Galatasaray.

Therefore, the issue is not with Jones's personal contract, but with Liverpool's stance. Liverpool previously demanded over €30 million from the Turkish side to release him. Internazionale's current offer is lower, at €20 million, but the key to quickly resolving this deal may lie in the future resale percentage. The level of this percentage will also influence whether Liverpool is willing to make a decisive small concession on the total price. Both sides will soon re-discuss this, possibly next week. The top executives of the two clubs have already had initial contact and stated their starting positions.

Liverpool still faces a crucial choice: the club cannot afford another Konaté-like case – the French defender left on a free transfer after contract renewal talks stalled; Liverpool also hopes to fulfill Jones's wish to play abroad. But at the same time, Liverpool is unwilling to sell a 25-year-old homegrown player cheaply. Jones came through Liverpool's academy and has been accustomed to the Reds' environment since childhood. In this context, the gap between the asking price and the offer may quickly narrow.

Chivu's midfield is also destined for adjustments, adding talent without significantly altering the framework. Frattesi's departure will not be a great regret for Internazionale, and he is also an interesting bargaining chip in negotiations with Atalanta regarding Palestra. Mkhitaryan, on the other hand, was retained at the last minute; he accepted a one-year contract extension with a pay cut and now only needs to complete the routine signing.

Mkhitaryan's decision has constrained Internazionale's room for maneuver in midfield. Currently, there is only one transfer slot for a midfielder, and Jones is already leading the race. In other words, he might become Internazionale's first signing of the 2027 summer transfer window. This transfer window will be deeper than recent summer windows and will further help Chivu build a team more aligned with his ideas.

Jones, for example, can bring tactical versatility, playing as a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder, and is also accustomed to increasing the tempo of the game. The new Internazionale needs to quickly add another dose of intensity, preferably by early June. The team will only start training camp a month later, but Internazionale still needs to act before its Turkish competitor, as the latter is indeed very serious now.