Adam Wharton has been a recurring name in Liverpool’s midfield planning for well over a year, but the picture around any potential deal has shifted significantly since the summer.
Andoni Iraola succeeded Arne Slot as Liverpool head coach in June, arriving from Bournemouth to take charge of a squad reshaped by a heavy summer outlay on Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike the previous year.
Iraola’s midfield options were then thinned out further when Curtis Jones completed a £30 million move to Inter Milan in August, ending his 16-year association with the club and leaving Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo as the senior options in the middle of the park.
Wharton has previously discussed transfer speculation with The Athletic, and he has again made clear that he is relaxed about his situation at Selhurst Park, where his contract runs until 2029 and, notably, contains no release clause.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Palace’s Europa League fixture with Lech Poznan earlier this month, Wharton played down any suggestion he is looking for a way out.
“I never really thought about transfers this summer,” he said. “I stay very far away from it. My agent doesn’t really tell me anything, and I don’t want to know anything.”
He added: “I have three years left at Palace. For all I know, I’m here for three years unless a club comes in or there’s another contract. I take it week by week, game by game.”
His head coach, Pierre Sage, has previously confirmed Palace turned down approaches for Wharton over the summer and praised the midfielder’s attitude throughout the speculation, insisting he remained fully committed to the club’s cause.
Liverpool’s admiration for Wharton dates back to reports in autumn 2025, and sources have since suggested he would favour a move to Anfield over rival suitors, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid also credited with interest at various points.
Despite missing out on him this summer, Liverpool are reported to remain firmly in the race, with suggestions a deal could be revisited as early as the January window, though most reports point to the summer of 2027 as the more realistic timeline.
Palace’s valuation is thought to sit between £75 million and £100 million.
Wharton joined Palace from Blackburn Rovers in February 2024 for a reported fee of £18 million, which could rise to £22 million with add-ons. He passed 100 appearances for the club earlier this month.
In that time, he has won three major honours with Palace: the 2025 FA Cup, in which he started the 1-0 win over Manchester City; the 2025 Community Shield, won on penalties against Liverpool; and the 2026 UEFA Conference League, where he was named man of the match in the final after setting up Jean-Philippe Mateta’s winning goal against Rayo Vallecano.
He has also broken into the England set-up, making his senior debut in June 2024 and his first competitive start against Albania in November 2025, though he was a surprise omission from Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
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