Manchester United’s hopes of signing Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton have received a boost after the latest update from talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs.
A Long-Term Target
The Red Devils have been keeping tabs on Wharton, 21, since he arrived at Selhurst Park in January 2024 after £22 million move from Blackburn Rovers.
And almost immediately the transfer was proven to be a roaring success with the midfielder handling the ascension from the Championship to the Premier League with aplomb.
Wharton went from strength to strength at Selhurst Park, combining the industry of an English midfielder with the deep-lying playmaking abilities of a player from the continent.
His performances even won him a place in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for the European championship last summer – an indication of how quickly the youngster had risen to the summit of English football.
During this time, however, United’s midfield performances were heading the opposite direction.
United need a new midfielder – or two
Casemiro’s decline was in full swing and the players the Red Devils have signed in recent years to offer an alternative to the Brazilian – Sofyan Amrabat and Manuel Ugarte – have impressed even less.
A new midfielder was on the agenda at Old Trafford this summer as Ruben Amorim requested more energy and athleticism in his engine room.
But the collective decision to prioritise the misfiring forward line, with over £200m spent on a new attacking trident of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, left little in the bank for reinforcements in midfield.
United’s first-choice target was Brighton starlet Carlos Baleba, but the Seagulls had no intention of selling their prized asset this summer. Wharton was considered an alternative, however, and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has also emerged as a target at the Theatre of Dreams.
United are expected to invest heavily in the midfield next summer – with three excellent options with Premier League experience to choose from. But the Red Devils may find it easiest to strike a deal for Wharton, as per Jacobs’ update.
A Midfield Transplant
Speaking to The United Stand, Jacobs states: “my understanding with Wharton is there’s kind of a gentleman’s agreement in place allowing him to leave Crystal Palace next summer, so that’s clearly going to be one to watch.”
While a gentleman’s agreement is unlikely to have any contractual obligation, the fact that one exists between Wharton and Palace’s hierarchy suggests the Eagles have already begun planning for his exit next summer.
The talkSPORT reporter goes on to reveal there is a “strong possibility” that United sign not one but two midfielders next year, with the option of one arriving in the January transfer window.
“At this stage it is simply wait and see; you’re not going to get the answers to January this early, but there is concrete possibility that if the right name becomes available, Manchester United will add a senior midfielder this season, and as I said before, it could be two midfielders.
“There’s other names that could be available mid-season if Manchester United have the funds from potentially a Kobbie Mainoo exit; we’ll have to wait and see what transpires.”
If Wharton was to arrive at Old Trafford alongside a midfielder like Anderson, with the former capable of playing as a number six and the latter more comfortable as an eight, this would have transformative effect on United’s level as a team, in both directions of the pitch.
The midfield was once described as the “heartbeat” of a team by Casemiro – and if United sign Wharton and Anderson to replace the Brazilian, that would be the type of radical transplant operation that may just save the patient’s life.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
