Liverpool Eyes Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace with Harvey Elliott in the Mix
Liverpool are weighing up a bold move to prise Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace – and Harvey Elliott could be the makeweight that unlocks the deal.
With Mohamed Salah gone, the headline priority at Anfield is clear: find a new winger. Yet behind that search, Fenway Sports Group are quietly pushing another major piece of business. They want a midfielder, and they want Wharton.
Liverpool’s “cunning plan”
Liverpool’s interest in the England international is no secret. They have tracked Wharton for months, and now a concrete strategy is on the table.
Journalist Danny Gallagher reported that Liverpool are actively exploring the logistics of a swap-style agreement, which would see Elliott head to Selhurst Park as part of a package for Wharton. The idea is simple: Palace get a gifted 23-year-old with Premier League experience, Liverpool get a midfielder they believe can anchor their next era.
The timing is delicate. Elliott spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Aston Villa, but he did not trigger the conditions required for the obligatory purchase clause. Arne Slot, then in charge at Anfield, had already made his mind up and sanctioned the loan. New boss Andoni Iraola has not.
Iraola still wants to assess Elliott properly before signing off on any permanent exit. That is the one hesitation in a move that, according to Gallagher, could “move quickly if all parties agree.”
For now, Elliott sits in limbo: highly rated, but not yet central to Iraola’s plans. Wharton, by contrast, is central to Palace’s.
Palace dig in over record sale
Liverpool’s pursuit comes against a backdrop of mixed signals. Only last week, Football Insider suggested the club might be cooling their interest in Wharton, with other targets and stylistic questions under Iraola coming into play.
Pete O’Rourke pointed out that Palace, having already lost Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi in recent years, are in no mood to casually part with another cornerstone. Wharton is under contract, and Palace hold the leverage.
The market around him has shifted too. Tottenham were linked, but their midfield business now looks focused on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. Other clubs have moved early. Palace, as O’Rourke put it, are “in box seat here.”
That suits them perfectly, because they have set the bar high.
Back in April, TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey revealed Palace’s internal stance: they want Wharton to become the most expensive sale in the club’s history. Sources have reaffirmed that position. The price is clear – £70 million.
Palace banked £68m from Arsenal for Eze in the summer of 2025. They now want £2m more for Wharton, a figure they believe reflects both his talent and his importance to Oliver Glasner’s evolving side.
A deal that tests Liverpool’s resolve
For Liverpool, this is the crux. They admire Wharton, but £70m for a 22-year-old midfielder is a statement fee, even for a club of their scale. Including Elliott in the talks changes the complexion of the negotiation, potentially lowering the cash outlay and giving Palace an immediate attacking option.
The question is whether Iraola is prepared to sacrifice a versatile, homegrown winger before he has fully assessed him in pre-season. The answer to that will shape Liverpool’s midfield rebuild – and possibly Palace’s next record-breaking departure.
If the green light comes from the new manager, the framework is already there. One rising England international in, another out, and a transfer that would say plenty about where both clubs are heading.
