Curtis Jones was left out of Liverpool's friendly against Monaco because of a hip issue, with Andoni Iraola saying it did not look serious and that there was no point taking a risk. The omission still landed differently because Inter's interest has been hanging around for months, so a routine fitness call quickly became a future-watch story.

Jones' run before the Monaco game

The selection itself was not coming out of nowhere. Jones had played in all three prior friendlies against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United, and his recent league minutes were heavy enough to suggest he had been available rather than managed cautiously for a long stretch. In his last five league appearances, he logged 98, 97, 96, 91 and 87 minutes.

His most recent league outing was rated 7.9 and lasted 98 minutes. That is a decent sign for Liverpool, because it supports the club line that the Monaco omission was precautionary rather than the first sign of a longer problem.

Liverpool went 2-0 up inside 30 minutes before Monaco completed a comeback win at Anfield, which only sharpened the attention on who was missing from the squad list. Jones was the notable absence because he had been involved in the matches leading into it.

Why the Inter talk keeps following him

The transfer noise is not new. Inter's pursuit of Jones has lasted about eight months, and reported numbers have never fully settled the story. Liverpool are said to be demanding €40m, while Inter are not yet prepared to meet that valuation. Other reports have put the latest offer at around £30.3m.

That is the real reason this absence has become a bigger talking point than a normal pre-season miss. Liverpool say hip issue. The wider market says Inter are still there, and the club have not blinked on price.

Inter's current Serie A standing is eighth, which underlines that any move for Jones would sit inside a squad-building plan rather than a move from a settled title machine. For now, though, the only confirmed football reason for the Monaco omission is the hip issue, and Liverpool's next update on his fitness will matter more than the rumours until a real bid matches the asking price.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →