Premier League club have 'opened talks' with Liverpool to sign Curtis Jones

Nottingham Forest have opened talks with Liverpool as they pursue a deal to sign midfielder Curtis Jones, according to reports – and it appears the club have a transfer fee in mind.

Jones, who is heading into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, continues to be strongly linked with a move.

Serie A side Inter Milan have expressed an interest, although their £21 million offer for the 25-year-old fell considerably short of Liverpool’s valuation, which is believed to be £35 million, according to The Times.

The bid from Inter came after their sporting director, Piero Ausilio, made the club's intentions clear. "Curtis Jones - we are paying attention to him," he said. "We didn't hide. We understand what the developments will be."

Juventus, Tottenham and Aston Villa are also being linked with a move for Jones, but it appears Nottingham Forest are ready to make a serious attempt to sign the player.

Italian journalist Nicolo Schira claims Forest have opened talks with Liverpool to try and sign him for between £35 and £40 million. They are also prepared to offer him a five-year deal at the City Ground.

Nottingham are interested in signing Curtis Jones. Image credit: Getty

As it stands, there are no active discussions about extending Jones' current deal at Liverpool after it became clear that there was a gap between the player’s expectations and what the club are willing to offer.

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However, Liverpool are in no rush to sell Jones and may wait until pre-season before considering letting him go, in case new head coach Andoni Iraola decides to keep him.

Curtis Jones tipped to leave Liverpool in bid to become first-team regular

The best thing for Jones' career would be to leave Liverpool, according to former winger John Barnes.

“Of course I’d want him to stay at Liverpool because I love Curtis," Barnes told Betfred. "Curtis has to decide though whether he wants to be a player that plays every single week or stay at a club and be part of a squad.

“He played more under Arne Slot than he did under Jurgen Klopp and it suited him. However, at 25 years old, he needs to decide whether he wants to play every week.

"He loves Liverpool, he’s a local lad and even if he doesn’t play every week, he’d be a great asset to the squad, but for his own career and if he wants to play every week, the best thing for him will be to go," added Barnes.