Inter make new approach to Liverpool for Curtis Jones 

Italian champions willing to raise offer for midfielder.

Liverpool's Curtis Jones (right) celebrates. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Inter have made another approach for Curtis Jones and are willing to raise their offer for the Liverpool midfielder to €35m (£30m). 

The Italian champions had a €25m bid for the 25-year-old rejected in June by Liverpool, who value their homegrown player at closer to €40m.

Intermediaries representing Inter have made fresh contact with Liverpool this week and outlined their willingness to go to €35m for a player who has only one year remaining on his contract at Anfield. 

Whether Liverpool accept that sum is doubtful, but a deal for Jones to leave his boyhood club does appear to be edging closer.

Jones has been unable to establish himself as a regular starter at Liverpool and cut a frustrated figure at times last season under Arne Slot. 

He was also involved in a row with Dominik Szoboszlai after Wednesday’s win over Wrexham in New York, seemingly over not being handed the captain’s armband when Szoboszlai was substituted during the second half of the friendly.

The new Liverpool head coach, Andoni Iraola, has spoken of the importance of keeping Jones and a local identity at the start of his first season in charge but Inter’s determination to sign the England international, along with the prospect of losing him for free next summer, may well test that resolve.

Meanwhile, Bruno Guimarães was not on Newcastle’s flight to Murcia on Friday lunchtime as Eddie Howe’s former players prepared to meet their new head coach in southern Spain.

As Guimarães, who is believed to be in Brazil, appeared to inch closer towards a transfer to Arsenal, Matthias Jaissle was completing his managerial move from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli. Howe’s successor is expected to arrive at the club’s pre-season training camp at La Manga at some point this weekend.

By the time, shortly after midday, when the team’s charter plane took off for the Mediterranean, Newcastle had still to provide formal confirmation of Howe’s departure. That did not arrive until late afternoon but it is understood they had been negotiating a financial settlement with their former manager in addition to payoffs for four key members of his backroom staff, including the outgoing No 2, Jason Tindall.

In an emotional message released as part of Newcastle’s statement, Howe said. “It has been the privilege of my lifetime to have been the manager of Newcastle United. After nearly five years of giving my life, heart and soul into this club with unrelenting energy I feel that it is in the best interests of both myself and the club to step away, recharge and take a break. Although it’s been incredibly difficult to make this decision, I know in my heart it’s the right one.”

Guardian