Liverpool have turned down a verbal offer of 25 million euros, roughly £21.7 million, from Inter Milan for midfielder Curtis Jones. The Serie A side clearly fancy the Scouser, but Liverpool have made it pretty clear that figure is nowhere near enough to get a deal done.
Jones has always been one of those players who sits in an interesting middle ground at Liverpool. He came through the academy, he's got bags of quality on his day, and the fans genuinely like him. But he has also spent a fair chunk of his career being linked with moves away, dealing with injuries, and trying to nail down a starting spot in a very competitive midfield. At 23 years old though, he still has plenty of time to define what kind of player he is going to be.
Inter Milan are a serious club and this is a serious offer, even if Liverpool don't see it that way. Finishing second in Serie A last season and regularly competing in the latter stages of the Champions League, they are not exactly a step down for any player. You could actually see Jones thriving in Italy where creativity and technical ability tend to get a bit more space to breathe.
From Liverpool's perspective, knocking this back makes sense on a few levels. You don't let a homegrown player leave for what amounts to a relatively modest fee unless you genuinely don't need him. Rejecting the bid suggests Arne Slot sees Jones as part of his plans, or at the very least, Liverpool want considerably more money before they even think about opening the door.
The interesting question now is whether Inter come back with an improved offer or walk away and look elsewhere. If they do return, Liverpool will need to decide what Jones is actually worth to them in practical terms, not sentimental ones. Sentiment is lovely but it doesn't win football matches.
For now, Jones stays put and gets another chance to prove himself at one of the biggest clubs in the world. Not a bad position to be in, all things considered. Let me know your thoughts.