Manchester United are reportedly battling with Real Madrid over a deal to sign Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The Eagles have continued to produce top-class talents in recent years. Following Michael Olise’s move to Bayern Munich in 2024, Arsenal bought Eberechi Eze for a big fee last summer.
Marc Guehi was a subject of speculation ahead of this season, and Liverpool came very close to securing his service before Manchester City managed to win the race in January.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has also attracted a lot of attention, having displayed his goal-scoring prowess in the Premier League. AC Milan even showed a keen interest in signing him in January, but the player couldn’t pass the medical.
Now, Wharton has placed himself on the radar of several big clubs across Europe. Fichajes state that Man Utd and Real Madrid are interested in him and could make a concrete approach to secure his services at the end of this season.
Los Blancos are planning to refresh the midfield department, with Eduardo Camavinga linked with a move away. On the other hand, Man Utd have earmarked Wharton as an ‘ideal’ successor to Casemiro, who is set to leave for free this summer.
With Wharton’s existing deal set to run until 2029, Crystal Palace are in a strong position to demand a huge fee if they are forced to sell him and have slapped a whopping £87m price tag on his head.
Battle
Wharton is a technically gifted left-footed deep-lying playmaker by trait but is also efficient in the box-to-box role. He can play threading passes between the lines and is efficient with possession in tight areas.
Apart from Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte could also leave, having failed to find his feet in the Premier League since joining from Paris Saint-Germain a couple of years ago.
So, United are said to be planning to sign more than one midfielder. Wharton has the ability to break low blocks, and Man Utd don’t have a player like him in their squad.
Therefore, Wharton would be a great coup for Man Utd should they eventually manage to secure his service in the upcoming summer transfer window.
