Curtis Jones, an Inter Milan transfer target this summer, was involved in a heated on-pitch argument with Liverpool team-mates following their pre-season friendly in the United States.
According to BBC Sport, the midfielder clashed with Dominik Szoboszlai and later Kostas Tsimikas as the Liverpool squad walked across the pitch to applaud supporters after Thursday’s 1-0 win over Wrexham at Yankee Stadium.
The cause of the exchange was unclear, though it followed an earlier flashpoint: when Szoboszlai was substituted, he handed the captain’s armband to Tsimikas rather than Jones, and during the row Tsimikas was filmed throwing the armband to the ground.
Inter-linked Jones has one year left on his Liverpool deal
The timing is notable given Jones’s uncertain future. Earlier this summer, Liverpool rejected an offer from Inter for the midfielder, who has just one year left on his Anfield contract, a situation that leaves his long-term position at the club open to question.
For now, though, the Reds are keen to keep him, despite Inter’s continued interest.
Head coach Andoni Iraola, appointed in the summer to succeed the sacked Arne Slot, made his stance clear earlier this month. “I rate Curtis very highly,” he said. “For me he is a great, great player, and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing.”
Liverpool conclude their pre-season tour of North America on Sunday when they face Leeds in Chicago, with the episode an unwelcome distraction as Iraola fine-tunes his squad ahead of the new campaign.
