Curtis Jones’ Liverpool future has been described as Nottingham Forest plotting an Inter hijack
Nottingham Forest are now in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, amid a fresh update on his future at Anfield.
Jones could be a direct replacement for Elliot Anderson, given that the England international has agreed to join Manchester City while in North America at the World Cup.
With Man City reaching an agreement for a fee widely reported to be £116m, the Tricksters should have more than enough money to bring in a replacement, and are now looking at Liverpool’s Jones.
The 25-year-old, who has been praised for his “amazing work rate” by scout Jacek Kulig, has one year left on his contract at Anfield, meaning the Reds will be ready to cash in at the right price this summer.
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Football FanCast verdict |
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Honesty |
Forest need to sign at least one new midfielder this summer, given Anderson’s imminent departure. The England star did not miss a single Premier League game last season, winning 306 times, which is 94 times more than any player in Europe’s top five leagues. |
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Finance |
Liverpool’s superiority could be a problem, given the £40m price tag, which has so far proved prohibitive, among rivals Inter Milan. Of course, with Anderson set to go for an eye-watering price, Spurs could raise the asking price, if they decide the Liverpool academy graduate is worth it. |
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Testing |
However, £40m would be a huge sum to pay for a player who couldn’t hold down a regular place in Arne Slot’s starting XI last season. The six-capped England international has started just 18 of his 34 Premier League appearances, registering one goal and two assists. |
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Impact |
Inter Milan have also expressed interest, and a move to the San Siro would be a good proposition, with Cristian. Chivu’s team won the Serie A title last season. |
Nottingham Forest identify Curtis Jones as a target
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Nottingham Forest are now determined to sign a replacement for Anderson, and Jones is among the options, but it is not clear whether they would be willing to pay a price of £40m.
Interestingly, Jacobs says the Reds will be ready to sign the Englishman, if their price is not met, and there is still a chance for him to sign a new contract.
Liverpool have already rejected a £21.7million bid from Inter Milan, the Serie A side’s second attempt to sign him since he left in January.
The Merseysiders are not expecting any further talks with the Italians at the moment, so the Tricksters will run for free but will need to make a club-record bid to get the deal over the line, with an asking price of £40m on top of the £37.5m they got for Omari Hutchinson.
Curtis Jones is unlikely to reach Elliot Anderson’s heights at the City Ground
The central midfielder played an occasional role for Liverpool last season, often at right-back and used as a substitute, while Anderson played 3,334 minutes in the Premier League, placing him tenth in the top flight.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old averaged 13.9 defensive contributions per 90, compared to 11.1 from Jones, who got just 1,929 minutes of game time.
In addition, the former Newcastle United man was also more impressive from an attacking perspective, registering five more Premier League goal involvements (a total of 8) than the Liverpool man.
Anderson has started all three of England’s World Cup games so far, while Jones has failed to even make the team, which means a lot.
Nottingham Forest make way for Italy ‘star’ midfielder amid Elliott Anderson exit
It is not Davide Frattesi.
