Liverpool Targets Adam Wharton in Iraola's Rebuild

Liverpool’s reset under Andoni Iraola is starting to take shape – and the next piece of the puzzle could be Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.

According to GIVEMESPORT’s Ben Jacobs, the 20-year-old is firmly on the radar at Anfield, with senior figures at the club “really appreciating” the Palace man as they plot their summer business.

Iraola has only just been confirmed as Liverpool’s new manager after the abrupt sacking of Arne Slot, a decision that jolted a fanbase still adjusting to life after Jürgen Klopp. Slot’s first season brought a Premier League title; his second saw Liverpool lurch backwards, exposing cracks in a squad that had once again been pushed to its limits.

Now the club is moving quickly to back the Spaniard. The departures of Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konaté have ripped out three pillars of recent Liverpool sides. Those exits don’t just leave gaps; they alter the entire balance of the dressing room and the pitch.

Salah’s absence is the most glaring. Liverpool look light in the wide areas, especially with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha still learning the demands of first-team football rather than leading it. The club are already deep in talks over RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old earmarked as the preferred long-term successor to Salah. Personal terms are believed to be in place, but Leipzig are standing firm on a valuation north of £100m.

Liverpool know that fee. They paid it last summer for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and there is no sign the market is softening for them now.

Midfield under the microscope

While the headline noise surrounds the attack and a defence that shipped a club-record number of Premier League goals last season, eyes inside Liverpool are also drifting towards the centre of the pitch.

The engine room that once defined their intensity has lost its edge. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister struggled to hit previous heights during the 2025-26 campaign, their form dipping just as the team needed control and consistency. Dominik Szoboszlai remains one of the first names on the team sheet, but the supporting cast around him looks far less certain.

That is where Wharton comes in.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Jacobs underlined Liverpool’s interest: “Keep an eye on central midfield. Adam Wharton is a player really appreciated by Liverpool.”

Wharton, who still has three years left on his deal at Selhurst Park, has quickly become one of the most coveted young midfielders in the league. Palace will be playing Europa League football next season, yet speculation over his future has only intensified, especially after he missed out on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

Oliver Glasner has been effusive in his praise, recently calling Wharton “one of the best midfielders in the world”. That kind of endorsement, from a coach who has transformed Palace’s style and results, only strengthens the sense that any bid for the 20-year-old will have to be serious.

Liverpool, though, are no strangers to that kind of outlay.

Big cheques, bigger expectations

Last summer’s moves for Wirtz and Isak, both £100m-plus deals, signalled a club willing to spend heavily to stay at the top of the European game. It hasn’t stopped there.

Diomande will cost a similar figure if Leipzig get their way. Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola has also been linked, fresh from winning the Champions League, while Bournemouth winger Rayan is another name in the frame. Both are valued at more than £100m by their clubs.

This is the financial reality Liverpool now operate in: every major upgrade comes with a nine-figure conversation.

Amid all that, the pursuit of Wharton would send a slightly different message. Not just another blockbuster forward, but a young, technically sharp central midfielder to refresh the core of Iraola’s system. Someone to knit play, press with intelligence, and give Liverpool a different rhythm in possession.

Palace will fight to keep him, Europa League nights at Selhurst Park offering a powerful counter-argument to any move. Yet when a club of Liverpool’s stature starts circling, the dynamic changes quickly.

Iraola’s first Liverpool side is being drawn in bold strokes. The question now is whether Wharton’s name ends up inked into the heart of it.