Jones heads to Milan as midfield question grows louder

Curtis Jones touched down in Italy last night and is currently undergoing his medical at the CONI Sports Medicine Centre in Milan, with his move to Inter expected to be completed for a fee in the region of £30million. It's a significant departure, and one that carries a certain irony given that Andoni Iraola had publicly stated his desire to keep Jones at the club earlier this summer. Football moves fast, and so apparently does Curtis Jones.

The obvious question that follows is whether Liverpool will reinvest that money in midfield before the window slams shut. The squad is already stretched heading into Sunday's season opener, and losing an experienced central option without bringing someone in would raise eyebrows at the very least. The clock is ticking, and the Reds' recruitment team will know it.

Elsewhere at the younger end of the squad, 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe is also on the verge of an exit. The teenager was spotted arriving at Levante's training ground on Thursday, suggesting a medical with the Valencia-based club could be imminent. Ndukwe featured in pre-season but cannot play first-team football in England this season due to work permit complications, making a loan to La Liga a sensible move for his development.

Minteh bid rejected as the right-wing search rumbles on

Liverpool's pursuit of a Mohamed Salah successor took another twist this week after a bid for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh was lodged and promptly rejected. It's the latest chapter in what has been a complicated search for reinforcement on the right flank, and it signals clearly that the club itself is not yet satisfied with the options currently at Iraola's disposal.

One door that has definitively closed is Said El Mala. The 19-year-old, who had been linked with a move to Anfield as a potential Salah replacement, has signed a new contract at Cologne keeping him there until 2031. Borussia Dortmund had reportedly agreed a deal worth around £50million before walking away, which had briefly appeared to open a window for Liverpool. That window is now firmly shut.

A more left-field name doing the rounds is Dario Osorio of Midtjylland. TEAMtalk report Liverpool are among a number of Premier League clubs monitoring the 22-year-old Chilean international, who contributed 18 direct goal involvements across 48 appearances for the Danish club last season. He's already hit the ground running this term with three assists in eight matches. Valued at around £17million and someone who naturally cuts in from the right onto his stronger left foot, Osorio would tick a number of boxes on paper, though whether Liverpool view him as a genuine target or simply one to watch remains to be seen.

A mountain of absentees ahead of the Newcastle opener

As if the transfer uncertainty wasn't enough to contend with, Liverpool could head to Newcastle on Sunday without up to nine players. Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez are all at varying stages of returning from injury, while Hugo Ekitike continues his comeback from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. New signing Victor Munoz, the £34million acquisition from Osasuna, is also considered a doubt after a limited pre-season, despite the Spaniard declaring himself raring to go following what he described as a transformative summer that included lifting the World Cup.

Jayden Danns, Freddie Woodman and Stefan Bajcetic are also sidelined, and Jones himself could officially be an Inter Milan player by the time kick-off arrives. It is, to put it mildly, not the ideal way to begin a new era under Iraola.

On a more optimistic note, Milos Kerkez enters the campaign with a point to prove and no uncertainty over his status as first-choice left-back following Andy Robertson's departure. His reunion with Iraola, who managed him at Bournemouth, is one of the more intriguing subplots of the season ahead. Whether this Liverpool side is ready for what's coming will become a lot clearer by Sunday evening.