Liverpool are being continually linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, with a new update now emerging.
One report in recent days suggested that the Reds are accelerating their efforts to snap up Wharton in the summer transfer window, seeing him as an ideal addition to their midfield.
But speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown provided a potential twist, saying Palace won’t let the £80m-rated ace “go easily”:
“The priority for Crystal Palace is to keep their best players. They’ve not always been able to do that as we’ve seen recently, they’ve sold both Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, but they won’t want any more big exits after that. Palace have shown before, rightly or wrongly, that they can be tough negotiators.
“Look at what happened with Guehi and Newcastle, they went all the way up to £70million, but Steve Parish was demanding £75million and would not budge. They have to make sure they’re getting the right price for their players, and Wharton will cost big money if any club wants to make a move for him.
“Say Palace win the Conference League and then he goes to the World Cup with England, that will put them in an even better position to drive his price tag up. So for Liverpool or any other club looking at Wharton, they will know it will have to be a huge fee, because Palace are not going to let him go easily.”
Can Adam Wharton solve Liverpool’s midfield woes?
Wharton is such an impressive young midfielder, possessing a gifted left foot, bags of tactical intelligence and defensive nous in front of the defence, averaging two tackles per game in the Premier League this season.
The 22-year-old is pushing hard to make England’s 2026 World Cup squad, with Chicago Fire’s sporting director Gregg Broughton calling him a “unique” player.
One thing Wharton lacks is genuine pace, which may put some fans off the deal, with more legs arguably required amid Alexis Mac Allister’s struggles this season.
But the Palace star more than makes up for that in tenacity and positional brilliance, and he looks like the leading option for Liverpool to bring in to their midfield this summer.