Aston Villa In Talks With PL Club For £40m Player: Why Should The Midlands Club Walk Away?

Aston Villa In Talks With PL Club For £40m Player: Why Should The Midlands Club Walk Away? The transfer market is spinning out of control again. Word on the grapevine, initially flagged by Indy Kaila on X , is that Aston Villa are locked in talks with Liverpool over Curtis Jones. Anfield’s top brass aren’t playing ball. They want serious cash. We are talking £35 million to £40 million for a lad who isn’t even a guaranteed starter on Merseyside. Aston Villa’s midfield hunt takes an expensive turn as Liverpool name their price It is the classic English premium. Clubs inflate the price of homegrown talent just because they can. Jones has plenty to offer, mind you. He carries the ball well, breaks lines, and drives forward from deep. Plus, he is entering the final year of his contract. Usually, that drops the price. Not this time. Liverpool are holding firm, betting on the desperation of Premier League buyers. Villa need a body in the engine room. Someone to partner with Youri Tielemans and bring some energy. But this feels like a massive gamble. Time for Roberto Olabe to walk away LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 25: Curtis Jones of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on April 25, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Paying £40 million for a backup option? Absolute madness. Especially when the bloke’s head is already in Milan. Inter Milan are interested. They have already slapped a £21 million bid on the table. Liverpool rejected it, obviously, but Jones wants the San Siro. He wants Serie A football. Why would Unai Emery break the bank for a player, treating B6 as a backup plan? Villa are in the Champions League now. They have clout. They have pull. There is absolutely no need to beg a Scouse squad player to join the revolution. Monopolising finite summer transfer resources on an individual who views the Midlands as a secondary backup option would severely compromise the club’s strategic squad-building goals. Look at Europe instead. The continent is teeming with better value. City’s Tijjani Reijnders, for instance, offers way more tactical upside. He actually fits Emery’s hyper-specific, structured system. He has the technical discipline Jones sometimes lacks. And he would likely cost a similar premium without the drama. Overpaying for domestic squad fillers is an old Villa habit. It’s a remnant of a past era. Walking away from the negotiating table right now sends the perfect message to the rest of the league. It proves Olabe and Emery won’t be bullied or blackmailed by Anfield’s valuation. There are plenty of bigger fish in the European sea.