Liverpool Targets £100m Adam Wharton After Gomes Plan Abandoned

Liverpool’s summer of upheaval has taken a sharp, decisive turn. According to Football Transfers, Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has been installed as the club’s top transfer target, with the Anfield hierarchy prepared to go all-in on the 22-year-old after a dramatic rethink.

This is not a gentle reset. It’s a hard reboot.

Andoni Iraola has come in for Arne Slot, while three pillars of the recent Liverpool era – Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson – have all walked away on free transfers. A squad that already looked thin now has holes right through its core. The response from Fenway Sports Group? Pick a centrepiece and pay whatever it takes.

Right now, that centrepiece is Adam Wharton.

From hesitation to “all in”

Wharton’s rise has been rapid and loud. Branded a “superstar” in some quarters, he drove Crystal Palace through a standout campaign and played a central role in their Conference League triumph, turning Selhurst Park into a stage rather than a stepping stone.

Predictably, the Premier League’s elite circled. Liverpool have been among the most persistent admirers, but admiration is cheap; a formal bid has not yet landed on Palace’s desk. One reason stands out: the price.

Palace are demanding a fee in the region of £100 million, emboldened by a market that saw Elliot Anderson leave Nottingham Forest for Manchester City in a £116m deal earlier in the window. That benchmark sent a clear message: if you want our best, you pay at the very top of the scale.

Initially, that figure made FSG flinch. Liverpool explored a more economical route, turning to Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes as a serious alternative. At around £35m and open to the move, the Brazilian looked like the sort of smart, value-driven signing that has defined much of Liverpool’s recent recruitment.

Then the plan changed.

Gomes has now agreed to join Aston Villa, with Liverpool stepping away after internal discussions. Those talks ended with one conclusion: forget half-measures, commit fully to Wharton.

A fee that bites, a profile that fits

The price remains a problem. Palace have no need to sell and every reason to hold firm. Yet Iraola is a confirmed admirer of Wharton’s profile, and Liverpool have already shown in the past year that they are no longer shy about breaking financial boundaries. They shattered the British transfer record twice last season to bring in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. When they decide someone is the guy, they tend to pay.

On the pitch, the logic is obvious. Iraola’s teams live off the ball and with it – comfortable in possession, ruthless in transition. Wharton’s ability to operate as a natural No 6 gives that style a foundation. He can sit, dictate, and clean up, allowing the players ahead of him to breathe.

For Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, that changes the picture. Instead of juggling deeper duties, they could push into the zones where they do their best work, linking attacks, arriving late, and playing with greater freedom. Wharton doesn’t just fill a gap; he shifts the whole midfield balance up the pitch.

A £100m midfielder is never cheap, never risk-free. But Liverpool are not shopping for squad players. They need an instant upgrade, a statement signing who walks straight into the XI and raises the ceiling.

A club at a crossroads

Liverpool come into this window off the back of a deeply disappointing campaign. The momentum of previous years has stalled, the aura chipped away, the squad stretched. Losing Salah, Konaté and Robertson without fees only amplifies the sense of a club standing at a crossroads.

That is why this pursuit of Wharton feels bigger than a routine transfer chase. It is a test of conviction.

The hierarchy have let it be known that he is the priority. They have walked away from the cheaper option. They have already lived in the rarefied air of nine-figure deals. Now they face a simple choice: pay what it takes to land the player they believe can anchor Iraola’s new era, or blink and risk drifting into another season of frustration.

Liverpool have made their move in principle. The question now is whether they have the nerve – and the cash – to finish it.