Curtis Jones future now clearer as sporting director points out difficulty of midfielder deal

Curtis Jones future now clearer as sporting director points out difficulty of midfielder deal The 25-year-old first emerged on the Italian champions’ radar back in January - but no deal could be done and he stayed at Anfield. Jones however has a contract which expires in 2027 - meaning sporting director Richard Hughes is running out of time to cash in. The England midfielder is valued by his club at around £35m - but talks with Inter have thus far proven to be futile. The Serie A side are sticking to their guns - as is their right - and have so far not raised their bid much beyond the £20m mark. That is never going to be enough to convince Liverpool to do business - with Inter close to admitting defeat in their chase for Jones. Inter close to admitting defeat Piero Ausilio - Inter’s sporting director - spoke to the press at the launch of the transfer market earlier this week. And while he confirmed his club’s interest in signing Jones he stated boldly that a big gap remained between the two sides’ valuations . “I have never denied our interest in this lad; we also tried in January,” he said according to Tuttomercatoweb. “I must be just as honest though: we like him, he is a player who certainly has the characteristics that could potentially add something extra to our midfield, which is already very strong. “However, at the moment there is quite a significant gap between the valuation we have and Liverpool’s. “Since he is a Liverpool player, he has every right to ask for what he legitimately wants, but we have every right to say whether it works for us or not, so right now I would say it’s a very difficult deal.” Inter is Jones' preference Jones - a homegrown two-time Premier League title winner won’t be sold below his value by Liverpool. Decision-makers at the club are therefore content to take a calculated risk and keep him on board through this summer’s transfer window. With so many players coming back to preseason late due to the FIFA World Cup Jones will have an opportunity to stake an early claim under new head coach Andoni Iraola. Could Jones sign a new deal? And if it can be proven that he can have his part to play we may even see talks once again open up over a new deal. Right now there are other teams in the frame - such as Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Tottenham. But owing to Inter’s stance - the club that Jones would prefer to join - we could even say that he’s leaning towards a Liverpool stay in the short term at least.