Liverpool accused of lying about £34m wantaway star pushing for exit
The hip injury cited as the reason for Curtis Jones' absence from Liverpool's last three pre-season fixtures is a 'white lie' that the club are telling, claim new reports from Italy. Inter Milan have been eager to secure Jones' signature throughout the summer and appear to be edging closer towards reaching a deal. Liverpool rejected a second offer from Inter valued at £21.7million back in June but Inter remain keen.
The Reds have become increasingly exasperated by Inter's negotiating tactics and have reportedly lowered their asking price in a bid to bring matters to a swifter conclusion. They could end up doing a deal for even cheaper than £34m. During the speculation, Jones has been conspicuously absent from Liverpool's last three pre-season outings, against Leeds, Monaco and Como.
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When asked about the matter following the 3-2 defeat to Monaco on August 9, manager Andoni Iraola attributed his absence to a minor hip problem.
"Curtis, he has trained every day but yesterday finished with issues in the hip," Iraola said. "It doesn't look anything big but it didn't make any sense to risk and those are the ones, more or less, closer to a return."
But having been absent from the 2-0 victory over Como on Sunday - which followed Jones' return to training on Wednesday - reports in Italy have claimed to know more about the circumstances.
Sport Mediaset claim the medical explanation is a 'white lie'. Rather, they say the player is sitting out matches in a bid to push through the transfer and prevent an injury which could threaten the deal.
Corriere dello Sport report that the Liverpool academy graduate is determined to secure the move to Italy, which will see him reunite with John Stones and Djed Spence.
Inter have loaned out Davide Frattesi to Lazio, creating room, and are preparing to submit an official offer worth €30m (£25.65m) plus add-ons.
That remains considerably below Liverpool's asking price, but time is running short in the transfer window and Jones has fewer than 12 months left on his contract.
Their negotiating position is weakened as a result, with departures required to raise cash, having already lost Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah for nothing this summer.
Speaking earlier in the summer, Iraola suggested he wished to keep Jones, but circumstances may now have changed. "I rate Curtis very highly," he said.
"For me he is a great, great player and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing.
"It's very important that he's scouse, that he's from here. I also like the personality. From the outside at least he looks like a player with good character and I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time."