Nottingham Forest are now in contention to sign Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, amid a fresh update on his future at Anfield.
Jones could be brought in as a direct replacement for Elliot Anderson, given that the England international has agreed a move to Manchester City while in North America at the World Cup.
With Man City reaching an agreement for a fee that’s been widely reported to be £116m, the Tricky Trees should have more than enough funds to bring in a replacement, and they have set their sights on Liverpool’s Jones.
The 25-year-old, who has been lauded for his “incredible work rate” by scout Jacek Kulig, has just one year remaining on his contract at Anfield, which means the Reds would be prepared to cash-in for the right price this summer.
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Football FanCast’s Verdict |
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Credibility |
Forest certainly need to sign at least one new midfielder this summer, in light of Anderson’s impending departure. The England star didn’t miss a single Premier League game last season, and won possession 306 times, which is 94 more times than any player across Europe’s top five leagues. |
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Finances |
Liverpool’s steep valuation could pose a problem, having set a price tag of £40m, which has proven to be prohibitive thus far, amid rival interest from Inter Milan. Of course, with Anderson set to depart for an eye-watering amount, the Tricky Trees can afford to stump up the asking price, should they decide the Liverpool academy graduate is worth it. |
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Scouting |
However, £40m would be a sizeable sum to pay for a player who was unable to hold down a consistent place in Arne Slot’s starting XI last season. The six-cap England international started just 18 of the 34 Premier League matches he was involved in, registering one goal and two assists. |
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Impact |
Inter Milan have also expressed interest, and a move to the San Siro could well be an attractive proposition, with Cristian. Chivu’s side winning the Serie A title last season. |
Nottingham Forest identify Curtis Jones as target
According to reporter Ben Jacobs, Nottingham Forest have now set out to sign a replacement for Anderson, and Jones is among the options, but it is unclear whether they would be willing to pay the steep asking price of £40m.
Interestingly, Jacobs states the Reds would be prepared to keep hold of the Englishman, should their price tag not be met, and there is still a chance he signs a new contract.
Liverpool have already rejected an offer of £21.7million from Inter Milan, which is the second time the Serie A club have tried to sign him having made a move in January.
The Merseysiders are not anticipating further negotiations with the Italians at this stage, so The Tricky Trees have a free run but would need to make a club-record bid to get a deal over the line, with the asking price of £40m in excess of the £37.5m they shelled out on Omari Hutchinson.
Curtis Jones unlikely to reach Elliot Anderson’s heights at the City Ground
The central midfielder only played a sporadic role for Liverpool last season, often filling in at right-back and being used as a rotation option, whereas Anderson featured for 3,334 minutes in the Premier League, ranking him tenth in the top flight overall.
During that time, the 23-year-old averaged 13.9 defensive contributions per 90, compared to 11.1 from Jones, who received just 1,929 minutes of game time.
Moreover, the former Newcastle United man was also more impressive from an attacking point of view, registering five more goal involvements in the Premier League (8 total) than the Liverpool man.
Anderson has also started all three games for England at the World Cup thus far, whereas Jones failed to even make the squad, which speaks volumes.
Nottingham Forest make approach for ‘rising star’ Italy midfielder amid Elliot Anderson exit
It isn’t Davide Frattesi.