Liverpool are refusing to “budge” on their valuation of Curtis Jones, at a time when new boss Andoni Iraola is making a number of worrying admissions.
Jones is into the last year of his Liverpool contract and for the time being, he appears to be no closer to extending his stay with his boyhood club.
The 25-year-old was seen arguing with his teammate Dominik Szoboszlai during their pre-season win over Wrexham, suggesting all is not well for the midfielder.
Inter Milan have repeatedly been linked with the England international, who did not make it into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad this summer.
Jones has struggled to stamp his authority on this Liverpool team in recent years, with the Scouser frequently in and out of the starting XI.
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As a result, reports suggest he is open to a fresh start elsewhere, with the Italian giants likely to be an attractive option. However, a move to the Serie A side does not seem to be imminent.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who states that Liverpool are insisting on a £34m price tag for Jones, a fee way beyond Inter’s reach right now.
They would have to sell some players to make that possible but it seems unlikely they will fork out that kind of money for the Reds ace.
He said on his YouTube channel on Sunday, “Curtis Jones remains Inter’s target for the midfield. Other teams are calling, for sure, but today, Inter aren’t close to signing Curtis Jones.
“There is still a gap in valuations, and Liverpool aren’t budging from €40m (£34m). Liverpool want that amount, otherwise they won’t even sit at the table.
“Inter are currently at lower figures. €40m remains the magic number to convince Liverpool and Inter hasn’t reached that yet.”
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Andoni Iraola demoralised after Monaco defeat
Elsewhere, for the second pre-season game running, Liverpool threw away a 2-0 lead before slumping to a disappointing defeat.
A week on from being beaten 4-2 by Leeds United in the United States, Liverpool lost 3-2 to Monaco at Anfield on Sunday when it looked like they were in cruise control.
Liverpool have only signed defender Jeremy Jacquet and winger Victor Munoz this summer, although centre-back Ronald Araujo is set to join on loan from Barcelona.
But the fact that they are seemingly running out of energy quite early in games may be a cause for concern for Iraola, who demands a high-octane style from his team and has called for more signings ahead of the new season.
“It was quite similar to the game we played against Leeds,” Iraola told LFC TV after the match. “We played a good first half, especially a good 30 minutes. Right now we probably don’t have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this. They deserved to turn around the game.
“We won the first two pre-season games, but the last two we cannot sustain the level we want for all of the game. As soon as we made some changes, players start to get tired and we cannot sustain that level. So, we have work to do.”
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