Inter's Midfield Rebuild: Chivu Targets Koné and Jones

Cristian Chivu has not even completed his first summer in charge and already Inter’s midfield is being ripped up and redrawn.

Davide Frattesi is expected to move on, a departure that would have forced many clubs into a reactive scramble. Inter are doing the opposite. They are trying to seize control of the market, and the blueprint is clear: power and technique from Serie A, energy and versatility from the Premier League.

Koné, the priority piece

At the top of Inter’s list sits Manu Koné. Not a speculative name, not a distant idea. A concrete, domestic target.

Tuttosport, via CalcioMercato, report that Inter have placed the Roma midfielder at the heart of their rebuild. Koné arrived in the capital from Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2024 for €18 million plus €2 million in bonuses and has since racked up 81 appearances for the Giallorossi, with four goals and six assists to his name.

Those numbers tell only part of the story, but they do underline one thing: this is not a project player. This is someone already trusted at a major club, already embedded in Serie A’s rhythm.

Roma tied him down until June 2029 on a contract worth €2.8 million net per season. On paper, that looks like a classic “hands off” deal. Reality is less rigid. Roma are working to stay on the right side of financial fair play, and that pressure could open the door that stayed firmly shut last summer.

Because Inter have been here before. They tried to land Koné in August and walked away empty-handed. This time, Chivu is pushing for a renewed assault, and the Nerazzurri are ready to get creative.

A swap is on the table. Roma could receive Carlos Augusto and/or Frattesi as part of the package, a structure that would ease the financial hit for both clubs and plug immediate gaps in each squad. Inter gain a dynamic midfielder tailored to Chivu’s plans; Roma gain proven Serie A pieces and breathing room in their accounts.

If that sounds like a deal built for a long summer of negotiation, it is. But the logic is hard to ignore.

Jones lined up as the second wave

The story does not stop with Koné. If Inter get their man, they are not closing the door on a second midfield signing.

Curtis Jones has emerged as the next name on the list, a different profile, a different league, but a move that fits the broader strategy. The Liverpool midfielder is under contract at Anfield until June 2027 on a net salary of around €500,000 per season – a modest figure at this level and a wage that would sit comfortably within Inter’s structure.

This is not about choosing between the two. Reports in Italy are clear: Jones is seen as a complement to Koné, not a fallback option or a like-for-like replacement. One would bring Serie A know-how and a powerful presence between the lines; the other, a technically clean, tactically flexible option schooled in Liverpool’s high-intensity environment.

Inter’s long-held dream of prising Nico Paz away has faded, but the response has been sharp. Rather than dwell on a target slipping out of reach, Chivu and the club’s hierarchy have pivoted toward a more attainable, more immediate double move.

If they pull it off, Inter will not just have replaced Frattesi. They will have rebuilt the heart of their midfield in their new coach’s image, and sent a clear message about how aggressively they intend to shape the next phase of this squad.