Liverpool Eyes Adam Wharton as Midfield Rebuild Begins

Liverpool’s summer rebuild is starting to take shape, and the gaze is not fixed solely on the wings or the back line. Deep in the middle of the pitch, a new name has moved towards the top of the Anfield agenda: Adam Wharton.

According to GIVEMESPORT’s Ben Jacobs, Liverpool “really appreciate” the Crystal Palace midfielder and are actively plotting a move for him, with the club told to “keep an eye on central midfield” as Andoni Iraola’s first window gathers pace.

Iraola’s Inheritance and a Squad in Flux

Iraola walks into a club that has just lurched backwards after the high of a Premier League title in Arne Slot’s debut season. Slot’s abrupt sacking jolted the fanbase; the response from the hierarchy is clear – reset, reload, and do it quickly.

The spine of that title-winning side has already been ripped at. Andy Robertson has gone. Mohamed Salah has gone. Ibrahima Konaté has gone. Three pillars, three big dressing-room voices, three holes that need filling in a squad that suddenly looks thinner than it should for a club of Liverpool’s ambitions.

The wide areas feel especially exposed. Salah’s departure leaves a gaping vacancy on the right, and while 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha excites, he is still learning how to walk in senior football, let alone run a title challenge. Talks are ongoing over RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old earmarked as the preferred heir to Salah, but Leipzig are holding firm at a price north of £100m, even with reports that personal terms are already in place.

Liverpool know they need firepower. They also know they conceded more Premier League goals than ever before in a single season. Defence and attack will take up a lot of the budget and a lot of the headlines.

But the heart of the team is under scrutiny too.

Midfield Under the Microscope

The grand midfield refresh of recent years has not fully delivered. Ryan Gravenberch has not consistently imposed himself. Alexis Mac Allister, brilliant at his best, has struggled to match his previous heights across the 2025–26 campaign. The rhythm in the centre of the park has felt off, the control patchy, the intensity uneven.

Dominik Szoboszlai remains one of the first names on the team sheet, the standard-bearer in that area. Yet Liverpool know one elite midfielder is not enough if they are to play Iraola’s demanding, front-foot football across four competitions.

That is where Wharton comes in.

The 20-year-old has become one of Crystal Palace’s standout performers, his rise so sharp that Oliver Glasner recently described him as “one of the best midfielders in the world.” Selhurst Park will host Europa League football next season, a reward for Palace’s surge under Glasner, and Wharton still has three years left on his contract. Palace have no need to rush a sale.

But missing out on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad has sparked fresh noise around his future. A player of his profile – composed on the ball, brave under pressure, with the engine and awareness to thrive in a high-intensity system – fits neatly into the kind of midfield Iraola has favoured in his previous jobs.

Liverpool’s interest, as framed by Jacobs on talkSPORT, is not casual. When a senior correspondent flags a player as “really appreciated” by the club, it usually means scouting has gone beyond the surface and discussions have at least entered the strategic stage.

The question now is price, timing, and Palace’s willingness to even pick up the phone.

Big Fees, Bigger Expectations

Liverpool have already shown they are prepared to play at the top end of the market. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak arrived last summer as £100m-plus statements, proof that the club is ready to spend heavily if they believe a player transforms the XI.

That pattern is set to continue.

Leipzig want more than £100m for Diomande. Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League winner Bradley Barcola is on the radar and valued in that same stratosphere. Bournemouth winger Rayan is another wide option whose club also place him above the £100m mark.

These are not squad fillers. They are players expected to carry the attack for years.

Slot’s title win raised the bar. The collapse that followed reset it again, harshly. Iraola is now tasked with stitching together a new version of Liverpool on the fly: a sharper defence, a reimagined frontline, and a midfield that can both protect and create.

Wharton would not arrive as a marquee forward or a headline-grabbing superstar, but as a crucial piece in the puzzle. A young, Premier League-proven midfielder with room to grow into a central role in one of Europe’s most demanding environments.

If Liverpool decide to push, they will test Palace’s resolve and the player’s own ambitions. And if they land him, the message will be unmistakable: this rebuild is not just about replacing Salah’s goals or Konaté’s presence.

It is about rebuilding the core of Liverpool’s identity, one high-stakes signing at a time.