Liverpool midfielder ‘wants to leave’ as Nottingham Forest thunder into transfer race as Reds name price

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is adamant he wants to leave Anfield this summer, with Nottingham Forest now exploring a deal as a replacement for Elliot Anderson, and with TEAMtalk explaining why FSG’s valuation looks destined to scare off the player’s preferred transfer destination.

The Merseysiders are shaping up for a bright new era under Andoni Iraola after last season’s under-par and pedestrian-like football cost Arne Slot his job a little over a year after their Premier League title glory.

Under Iraola, Liverpool fans can expect to see a more high-octane style rolled out and perhaps much more associated with the early days of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield and his exciting style of ‘Heavy Metal football’.

While the players will have to get accustomed to the Basque tactician’s ways, not everyone who played for the club under Slot will survive in the new regime.

One of the focal points this summer is likely to be adding more energy and physicality to the midfield. And with just a year remaining on his deal at Anfield, TEAMtalk has long since reported that this summer could well see the departure of homegrown midfielder Jones – the last remaining Scouser left in the Liverpool side.

Now, the Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, has confirmed that Jones wants to leave Anfield, revealing that Nottingham Forest – fresh from their record-breaking £116m sale of Anderson to Manchester City – are ready to challenge long-term suitors Inter Milan to a deal.

“Yeah, there’s definitely interest there,” Steele said of the Tricky Trees’ interest in Jones to the Anfield Index podcast.

“I was told this about a week ago. I don’t know how advanced the interest is.

“It seems he wants to leave.”

Steele expects Forest’s interest could stir Inter into action after the Italians already saw two offers, the second worth £21m (€24m, $28m), knocked back by FSG.

“Liverpool want about £35m to £40m,” Steele confirmed, before adding: “A few weeks ago he was getting linked with the Italian champions, living in Milan, playing for him for playing at the San Siro every week.”

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Inter Milan unwilling to meet Liverpool’s price for Curtis Jones

Joking about how he could end up in the East Midlands this summer, as opposed to one of the so-called style capitals of the world, in Milan, Steele joked: “Nottingham is a nice place. There are certainly worse places in England, but I think I’d probably rather play in the San Siro than Forest.”

However, in a warning to the Italians, he added: “Liverpool want about £35 million. Inter haven’t put that on the table yet.

“Maybe the Forest interest will sort of give him a bit of a kick up the backside to put some money on the table!”

Despite that warning, TEAMtalk understands that Inter have warned the Reds they have no intention of meeting their asking price for a player who now has less than a year to run on his deal.

As a result, sources have confirmed that the Serie A champions are prepared to walk away from negotiations if the Reds refuse to lower their demands.

Inter remain huge admirers of Jones and view him as one of their priority midfield targets, but club officials have now made it clear during talks that they have no intention of matching Liverpool’s valuation.

We understand the Italians are willing to remain patient rather than overpay for a player they believe is entering the final year of his deal.

However, despite the sizeable gap between the clubs, negotiations remain alive.

Sources have confirmed that representatives from both clubs, alongside intermediaries working on the transfer, have remained in regular contact over the past week in an effort to find common ground.

While an agreement is not considered close, neither side believes the deal has collapsed.

Jones, we understand, is also excited by the prospect of joining the reigning Italian champions and believes the move represents the right next step in his career after spending his entire professional career at Anfield.

However, Liverpool are under no pressure to sell, we’re told, despite the situation around his contract.

Furthermore, the Reds believe their valuation is fair and will point to the very sizeable midfielder fees currently in the English game, which, of course, have been significantly swelled by Anderson’s eye-catching move to the Etihad Stadium.

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