Report: Champions League chasers plotting to pounce upon delicate Liverpool contract situation

Unai Emery’s side are said to be ‘preparing to make a concrete move’ for Jones, who’s also had interest from Inter Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s added that the working relationship between LFC and Villa hasn’t been significantly affected by Harvey Elliott’s abortive loan move to the Midlands this season.

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Liverpool must think very carefully about what to do with Jones

Is it plausible that Liverpool could sell Jones to a positional rival in Aston Villa, who currently sit one place and three points ahead of the Reds in the chase for Champions League qualification?

The midfielder is now 25 and coming into what should be his prime footballing years, which he’d surely won’t want to spend as a regular starter, a status he hasn’t had at Anfield this season – he’s been selected from the off in just 12 of our 32 Premier League games so far this term.

Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke named him among five LFC players facing an ‘uncertain’ future who could plausibly be sold in the summer, and failure to qualify for the Champions League would likely trigger multiple exits in order to fund incoming deals whilst working off a tighter budget.

It’s not unthinkable that Jones could leave in the next few months, especially if contract negotiations at Liverpool seem to be at an impasse and the club were to receive a tempting offer with just over 12 months remaining on his current deal.

However, FSG should think very carefully before deciding to jettison a local talent who’s managed to accrue more than 220 senior appearances for the Reds – which is no mean feat – and they should be especially cautious about selling him to a direct rival where one of our current players has had a miserable time on loan.

Hopefully contract talks with the midfielder will advance in the next few months and he’ll commit his prime footballing years to his boyhood club.