Inter’s Pursuit of Curtis Jones Intensifies Amid Frattesi Talks
Inter’s midfield plan for the summer keeps circling back to one name: Curtis Jones.
The Serie A champions have been locked on the Liverpool midfielder for weeks, waiting for two things to fall into place – exits from their own squad and a drop in Liverpool’s demands – before launching a full-scale assault for his signature. Now Lazio’s interest in Davide Frattesi might hand them exactly the opening they need.
Frattesi–Lazio talks set the dominoes in motion
As reported by Fabrizio Romano (via SOSFanta), Inter and Lazio have opened talks over a deal for Frattesi built around a loan with a conditional obligation to buy. The structure suits all parties on paper. Inter protect their asset, Lazio spread the cost, and the player gets what he wants most: minutes.
Frattesi featured 33 times last season, but those appearances flatter his real role. Starts were rare. For a midfielder in his prime years, that isn’t enough.
His agent, Giuseppe Riso, has already put the wheels in motion. According to Alfredo Pedullà, Riso has formally offered Frattesi to Lazio, a club he knows well given he also represents Mario Gila, Andrea Pinamonti, and Lorenzo Lucca. Lazio had explored a partial swap with Napoli earlier in the window, only to see Milan swoop in and close for the defender they were tracking. Their alternative target, Benfica’s Franjo Ivanovic, is headed to Lens instead.
So the Rome club, short on solutions and short on time, have turned to the Sassuolo product now wearing Inter colours.
Inter ready to pounce on Curtis Jones
If Frattesi walks through the door at Formello, Inter are ready to react instantly. The plan is clear: his departure would trigger a renewed, aggressive push for Jones.
Inter are prepared to go up to €35 million for the Liverpool midfielder. Liverpool, though, have held firm so far, asking for a hefty fee despite Jones having a short-term contract. That stance has slowed talks, not killed them.
On the player’s side, there is no ambiguity. Jones is keen on the move. Liverpool have effectively wrapped him in cotton wool during pre-season, preserving him as negotiations swirl in the background. The message is obvious: he is available at the right price.
Lazio’s opportunity – and their problem
For Lazio, Frattesi would be a statement signing and, crucially, a guaranteed starter from day one. Few top sides can offer him that status immediately. At the Olimpico, he would walk straight into the XI and become a pillar of their midfield rebuild.
There is a twist, of course. His Roma past would make the move a little ironic, maybe even provocative, in a city that never forgets. But from a purely footballing perspective, the fit is obvious.
The snag lies in the execution. Lazio have struggled badly to close deals in recent windows, and Inter are not in the business of giving away a Scudetto-winning squad piece. Negotiations promise to be long, tense, and anything but straightforward.
If they finally break through, though, one transfer in Rome could unlock another in Milan, and send Curtis Jones from Anfield to San Siro in one sharp swing of the market.
