Liverpool transfer news: Reds ready to move for 'unflappable' £60m Prem midfielder

Liverpool have been encouraged that a deal to sign Adam Wharton could be on the cards amid claims of a 40% cut to his asking price, though TEAMtalk can analyse whether his signing would be a smart move and with Arne Slot making the Reds’ transfer policy clear.

The Merseysiders embarked on a record-breaking summer of recruitment at Anfield, lavishing some £440m (€508m, $597m) on new signings that surely make them outstanding favourites to retain their Premier League title crown. And while Liverpool shattered the British transfer record on two separate occasions, there are growing indications that Slot and Co. are not finished yet.

Indeed, we revealed back in May how Slot had added tigerish Palace midfielder Wharton to his wanted list, and he was one player they were monitoring closely with regards a big-money future move.

While Liverpool did not make a concrete move over the summer, instead prioritising other areas of their side, our reporter Fraser Fletcher this week revealed that Wharton is very much back on the Merseysiders’ agenda ahead of the 2026 transfer windows.

Now, according to journalist Mark Brus, writing for the Daily Briefing, Palace are ‘willing to sell’ their midfield lynchpin in the January window and are open to cashing in on the 21-year-old for £60m – a 40% drop on the previous asking price of £100m.

While there is no doubting that adding a player of Wharton’s quality would add greater depth to Slot’s options, there are question marks over where the 21-year-old would get minutes at Anfield, given Liverpool’s vast array of options in the engine room.

Indeed, were he to move to Anfield, Wharton – a player described by former England boss Gareth Southgate as an ‘unflappable operator’ with excellent in-match vision – would have to battle both Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister for a place in the Reds’ engine room.

Slot tends to play a 4-3-3 formation, with one of those midfield three operating as a six and another as an eight. And while Wharton could fulfil either role, competition for places would mean he may not collect the same amount of minutes as he has become accustomed to at Selhurst Park.

As such, his move to Anfield would create a huge selection battle and present Slot with a bit of a selection headache; admittedly, a nice problem to have and especially with Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo as other options for Liverpool.

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Wharton’s stance on leaving Palace as Slot makes transfer feelings clear

Wharton, for his part, is understood to be open to a move to a side that can challenge for the game’s very top honours, though he is also happy at Selhurst Park, where he would not agitate for a move away.

Furthermore, he will also be aware of how a move away from the Eagles mid-season could potentially disrupt his rhythm and hinder his chances of making Thomas Tuchel’s squad to travel to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

As for whether Liverpool could pull the trigger on a transfer in January, Slot demonstrated over the summer by signing both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak that he is not adverse to spending big to improve the depth of his squad and adding to the level of quality available off his bench.

And the Reds boss has confirmed that if the Reds feel a player is available to strengthen their options, then cash can be made available for further squad additions.

“In terms of the money spent for one player, that is also part of our model. It is not the first time we have done this. We did it when I was not there, the ownership did this with Virgil [van Dijk], with Ali [Becker] and now with Florian [Wirtz] now as well, this is the model we use,” Slot explained to the media.

“We target a player and we want to have him. We decide what his value is, if that matches with what the club wants, then we are not afraid to act.

“We get that money from trading players and winning the league after we didn’t spend anything at all.”

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Meanwhile, Isak’s status as the most costly player in British football history may not last that long amid new reports that they are ready to obliterate the record once again, this time by spending around €150m to land an elite France international.

Elsewhere, sources can reveal how Liverpool are one of a clutch of Premier League sides contemplating an offer for a 17-year-old Lille midfielder, who is regarded as one of the hottest teenage properties in European football – but Richard Hughes and Co must act fast to beat AC Milan to a deal.

Wharton, of course, is not the only Palace star the Reds are looking to sign amid a strong push to land Marc Guehi over the summer.

Now it has emerged that the Reds face a major battle to sign the England defender in January, with a report revealing how much Barcelona believe they can get the Palace captain for.

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