Curtis Jones accused of faking hip injury to force £25m Inter Milan transfer

Curtis Jones is reportedly manufacturing his absence from Liverpool’s pre-season fixtures to push through a move to Inter Milan, with Italian outlets claiming the hip injury cited by manager Andoni Iraola is a ‘white lie’ designed to conceal the midfielder’s true intentions.

Sport Mediaset and Corriere dello Sport both report that Jones has been deliberately sitting out matches — including defeats to Monaco and a win over Como — to avoid the risk of an injury that could derail the transfer. Iraola had told reporters after the 3-2 loss to Monaco on 9 August that Jones had finished training with a minor hip complaint, adding: “It doesn’t look anything big but it didn’t make any sense to risk.”

Inter Milan have been pursuing Jones throughout the summer. Liverpool rejected a second Inter bid worth £21.7 million back in June, but the Serie A club are now preparing a fresh official offer of around €30 million (£25.65m) plus add-ons — still below Liverpool’s original asking price of €40 million (£34m). According to reports, the Reds have since lowered their valuation in a bid to bring the prolonged saga to a close.

The 24-year-old Liverpool academy graduate has his heart set on the move to Italy, where he would join compatriots John Stones and Djed Spence at the San Siro. Inter have already created space in their squad by loaning Davide Frattesi to Lazio.

Liverpool’s negotiating position has weakened considerably. Jones has less than a year remaining on his contract, and the club have already lost Ibrahima Konaté, Andy Robertson, and Mohamed Salah on free transfers this summer, making further sales a financial necessity.

Iraola had spoken warmly of Jones earlier in pre-season. “I rate Curtis very highly,” the manager said. “For me he is a great, great player and I hope he can continue with us. It’s very important that he’s scouse, that he’s from here. I also like the personality — I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time.”

With roughly two weeks remaining in the transfer window, time is running short for both clubs to reach an agreement.