Liverpool Linked With Move For Highly Rated Adam Wharton, As Curtis Jones Nears LFC Exit

Liverpool's transfer business towards the tail end of this transfer window is of course centred around bringing in some attacking reinforcements, but with the imminent departure of midfielder Curtis Jones, could that change the Reds transfer strategy in the last 12 days of this window?

Once Jones' move away is finalised, Liverpool will then be a midfielder down compared to last season, and given the levels of fatigue that the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in particular were showing for large parts of the previous campaign, are the Reds leaving themselves short on options in the middle of the pitch, and could a England international be the solution to their concerns?

The Crystal palace midfielder and England international has been a player who was massive tipped to leave Selhurst Park this summer for ventures new, with Liverpool being one of the teams most heavily linked with the 22 year old. 

Wharton has been a stand out player for Palace since he joined the club from Blackburn Rovers for £18 million in January 2024. He has gone on to take his game to the next level under former manager Oliver Glasner and as he closes in on 100 appearances for Palace, it is easy to see why LFC may be interested in the midfielder.

Similar to Gravenberch in the way he can pick the ball up in the middle of the pitch, turn and pick out a forward thinking pass, but one attribute that does stand out compared to LFC's current midfield options is his defensive ability. 

While he isn't someone who goes flying into crucial tackles, his footballing intelligence allows him to see possible passing lanes and cut them out before they happen, which would be a valuable asset for Liverpool in Andoni Iraola's side. 

The issue for LFC should they make a move for Wharton is that Palace are currently standing firm in their stance that Adam Wharton is not for sale this summer according to David Ornstein, and given he has a contract until 2029 at Crystal Palace, the South London club are under no pressure to sell their star player. 

Furthermore, as shown in the past with Liverpool's collapsed move for Marc Guehi last summer, Crystal Palace and their chairman Steve Parish are tough negotiators, so any club would be needing to pay a high price to secure Adam Wharton services. 

However, it would seem that the club are not rushing to find a replacement for the impending outgoing of Curtis Jones this summer.

As despite the Scouse born midfielder being scheduled in for a medical with Inter Milan tomorrow, according to Fabrizio Romano, reports have suggested that Liverpool don't plan on bringing in another midfielder.

Lewis Steele has come out and said that as it stands, Liverpool will not sign a midfielder to replace Curtis Jones, unless an opportunity presents itself in the closing days of the window. 

But the Mirror have reported that in an ideal scenario, a replacement for Jones would come in, someone who is of a higher calibre that Jones, with Iraola's dream replacement said to be the aforementioned, Adam Wharton. 

And this unsure verdict over whether a midfielder comes in was backed up by Paul Gorst who said it is unclear whether the Reds will recruit a replacement or allow the likes of Trey Nyoni to have the opportunity to receive more minutes in the Liverpool first team.

So, it would seem as though nobody can say with absolute confidence that Liverpool will not bring in a midfielder this summer, but as the the number of days left in this summer window continue to reduce, LFC will have to make their decision sooner rather than later.