Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is on Liverpool’s radar ahead of a busy summer transfer window, with his current club seeking a sizeable transfer fee.
Wharton is developing into one of the standout midfielders in the Premier League and will almost certainly be an England regular in years to come.
And his performances for a Palace side set to face Man City in the FA Cup final on Saturday have attracted widespread interest – including from Liverpool.
According to the Mail‘s Jack Gaughan, Liverpool are “monitoring the situation” around Wharton’s future along with Real Madrid, who are “making checks” on his availability.
Palace are said to value their No. 20 at up to £60 million, having signed him from Blackburn for £22 million just over a year ago.
It is a significant markup but comes as no surprise given the way Wharton has taken to the Premier League, particularly with his line-breaking passes from the base of midfield.
Per FBref, Wharton is in the top seven percent of midfielders across Europe when it comes to progressive passes (7.76) and shot-creating actions (3.91) made per 90 minutes.
By way of comparison, Alexis Mac Allister is in the top six percent for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.12) while playing more advanced as a No. 8.
This deep-lying creativity is something Arne Slot has worked closely on with Virgil van Dijk and will be pushing for more of in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Whether Liverpool will look to sign Wharton this summer remains to be seen, with it evident that their priorities lie elsewhere as they make progress on Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and court attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.
A new left-back is also on the agenda, with Bournemouth‘s Milos Kerkez widely expected to join, while Slot will also need a new centre-forward and a host of centre-backs are being considered.
But their interest in Wharton is understandable, having failed in their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi last summer, and though Ryan Gravenberch has excelled as a No. 6 he has maintained his long-term preference is to play further forward.
Wharton will have four years left on his contract when the transfer window opens and there is no suggestion of a buyout clause, meaning Palace are in a strong position if offers are made.
The south London club sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for £50.8 million last summer, when the winger had three years remaining on a contract he signed to remove a release clause.
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