Inter Milan Agree €35M Deal to Sign Curtis Jones from Liverpool

On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Inter Milan reached a verbal agreement with Liverpool to sign midfielder Curtis Jones in a €35 million package, with personal terms also settled and a medical examination planned. The breakthrough ends a summer-long pursuit by the Serie A champions and clears the way for one of the window’s most closely watched Premier League departures.

Jones, 25, is a Liverpool-born academy graduate who joined the club at age nine and made his senior debut in 2019. He has 228 appearances for the Reds but saw his Premier League starts limited last season — 18 in 49 games across all competitions — as Liverpool reshaped their midfield. Inter view him as a priority addition after Davide Frattesi moved to Lazio, and the deal would make Jones the third English player signed by the Nerazzurri this summer, after John Stones and Djed Spence.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from BBC Sport, ANSA, Fabrizio Romano, and Italian transfer outlets, August 19, 2026. Fee figures reflect reported package totals; the deal remains subject to medical clearance and formal registration.

Deal at a glance

Detail	Information
Player	Curtis Jones (25, England)
From / to	Liverpool → Inter Milan
Reported fee	€35 million package (~£30 million)
Agreement date	August 19, 2026
Status	Verbal agreement with clubs and player; medical planned
Inter coach	Cristian Chivu

Who is Curtis Jones?

Jones came through Liverpool’s youth system in 2010 and progressed to the first team under Jürgen Klopp, making his debut at 17. He has won domestic and European honours at Anfield and earned six England caps, though he was left out of the World Cup squad this summer.

Attribute	Detail
Primary position	Central midfielder
Liverpool record	228 appearances since 2019
2025–26 usage	49 games total; 18 Premier League starts
Contract	One year remaining at Liverpool
International	England (6 caps)

Coaches value his ball-carrying, press resistance, and local understanding of a high-intensity midfield role — qualities Inter hope will slot into a squad that retained the Serie A title and is preparing for another Champions League campaign.

How the transfer unfolded

Months of interest

Inter identified Jones as a target as early as May and maintained contact through the summer. In June, Liverpool rejected a €25 million verbal offer from the Italian champions, holding out for a fee closer to their valuation of around €40 million.

Inter also explored a January loan with an obligation to buy, which Liverpool turned down. By mid-August, persistence and a narrowing gap in price expectations brought the clubs closer.

The €35M breakthrough

On August 19, transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano reported that Inter and Liverpool had reached a verbal agreement at a €35 million package, with Jones also giving his approval. ANSA, Italy’s national news agency, described the deal as €32 million plus bonuses — figures that align with a total package in the €35 million range once add-ons are included.

BBC Sport reported that Liverpool are open to the sale provided the fee matches the roughly £30 million package Inter paid Tottenham for Djed Spence earlier in the window. Both clubs indicated that some final details remained to be settled even after the verbal agreement.

Personal terms and medical

With club-to-club terms and the player’s consent in place, the next formal step is a medical examination in Milan. If Jones passes, contract paperwork and Serie A registration would follow before the September 1 transfer deadline.

Why Inter moved for Jones

Inter’s midfield underwent change this summer when Frattesi joined Lazio. Cristian Chivu wanted a mobile, technically secure central midfielder who could operate in a possession-based system without sacrificing defensive work — a profile Jones fits on paper.

The signing also continues a notable trend: Inter had previously fielded only three English players in their history — Gerry Hitchens, Paul Ince, and Ashley Young. Jones would join Stones and Spence to make 2026 the summer Inter rebuilt part of their spine with Premier League-tested English talent.

For Jones, the move offers regular Serie A minutes at a club competing on multiple fronts — a step he is understood to be keen on after struggling to lock down a starting role at Liverpool last season.

Liverpool’s perspective

Liverpool are willing to sell a homegrown player who has one year left on his contract, provided the fee reflects their valuation. Nottingham Forest also showed interest earlier in the window as they sought midfield reinforcement, but Inter’s long-running pursuit and willingness to meet Liverpool’s price point made Milan the likelier destination.

Selling Jones would bring in meaningful funds and a roster slot as Liverpool continue a midfield refresh that has already seen new faces arrive. Letting a 16-year academy product leave is never straightforward for supporters, but the club appear to have judged that €35 million represents fair value for a player who started fewer than half of his Premier League appearances last term.

What happens next

Step	Expected timing
Medical examination	Days after August 19 agreement
Contract signing	Following medical clearance
Serie A registration	Before September 1 deadline
Possible debut	Serie A opens late August; Inter face Monza on the opening weekend

If the medical proceeds without issue, an official announcement from both clubs could follow within days. Jones may also face a symbolic twist: depending on Thursday’s Champions League group-stage draw, Inter and Liverpool could be paired — meaning a quick return to Anfield in Europe.

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Discussion

Inter have paid a premium to land a player Liverpool nurtured for more than a decade — and the fee will be judged against how quickly Jones establishes himself in Serie A.

1. At €35 million for a one-year-contract academy graduate with 18 Premier League starts last season, is Liverpool right to cash in now — or would keeping Jones have been the smarter long-term bet?

The club gain transfer revenue and squad flexibility, but lose a homegrown midfielder with Champions League experience.

2. Jones joins an increasingly English Inter side under Chivu. Does importing Premier League profiles strengthen a Serie A champion — or signal that Italy’s own midfield pipeline is being bypassed?

Stones, Spence, and now Jones reshape a squad that once rarely looked across the Channel for core players.

Share your view on whether this move works for both clubs — or whether one side is taking the greater risk.