Liverpool report: Adam Wharton move edges closer, with 'firm plans' on cards

Liverpool target Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on August 24, 2025 in London, England. — The Reds are looking at Wharton (Image credit: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

Liverpool are looking to strengthen their midfield, with Adam Wharton a serious target.

The Reds are the only club in the Premier League to have recorded five wins out of five at the start of the season, but it hasn't been without its drama, as Liverpool have relied on late goals so far, with Arne Slot's side still finding its groove.

The prospect of this team firing on all cylinders is a scary one for the rest of the league – and they could well be about to strengthen even further, with the arrival of one of England's most promising midfielders in the shape of Adam Wharton.

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Adam Wharton is on the wishlist for Liverpool, along with two other names for 2026

Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Burnley and Liverpool at Turf Moor on September 14, 2025 in Burnley, England. — Arne Slot strengthened all over the pitch over the summer (Image credit: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool spent £419 million in an unprecedented summer, strengthening with two new full-backs (Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez), a centre-back (Giovanni Leoni), two new strikers (Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike) and a no.10 (Florian Wirtz).

One surprise was that Slot didn't pursue another deep-lying midfielder after missing out on the capture of Martin Zubimendi the year before – but the arrival of a new no.6 now appears to be a priority at Anfield.

TEAMtalk have noted that Wharton, recognised in FourFourTwo's list of the best defensive midfielders in the world, is a serious option for Slot next summer, as he looks to improve his midfield options.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister were constants last season in a double-pivot, though the arrival of Wirtz has posed questions of where to deploy Dominik Szoboszlai, with the Hungarian used at full-back in Frimpong's absence before returning to his natural position of no.10 at the weekend for the Merseyside Derby.

Wharton offers progression with his passing, has excellent positioning and can dictate the tempo of games, which Liverpool have missed this season whenever Mac Allister has been unavailable.

FourFourTwo understands that Slot is happy with his options in the centre of midfield right now – with Curtis Jones another superb option in midfield – but with Crystal Palace driving a hard bargain for their talent, it may take a record sale to see Wharton leave Selhurst Park.

Liverpool are yet to drop points this season in the Premier League — Liverpool have several options in the centre of midfield (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Eagles are said to value the England international at around £100m – and though Liverpool spent over nine figures on two players over the summer, they may not be keen on doing so again on a star who doesn't have an obvious place in their side right now.

Wharton is worth €45m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool, incidentally, travel away to Palace next Saturday, when Premier League action resumes.

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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.

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