Liverpool have gone directly to Crystal Palace to ask about Adam Wharton, turning a quiet transfer link into a live one. Manchester United had already made an enquiry for the midfielder, but Liverpool’s move puts another heavyweight into the race for a player Palace are not under immediate pressure to lose.
That is why the search for La Liga ties has sharpened again today. The broader market is moving around the same midfield names, and one club’s interest is quickly becoming another club’s problem. Arsenal, for their part, have set a price of 90 million euros for Martín Zubimendi after becoming open to selling him following Bruno Guimarães’ arrival, while Chelsea could make a move for him if Enzo Fernández leaves for Manchester City this summer.
For Liverpool, the Wharton approach matters because it is more than background noise. A direct contact with Crystal Palace is a different step from idle admiration, even if it still falls short of a formal bid. It signals that Liverpool are testing the market before deciding whether to push harder, and it also raises the stakes for Manchester United, who had already asked about the player.
The same transfer chain explains why Barcelona’s name keeps surfacing in the midfield market. The club have already had a first proposal for Rodri rejected, then improved their offer to 51.3 million pounds, and they are still planning for Marc Bernal to remain part of Hansi Flick’s plans even if Rodri arrives. That is the friction in this round of talk: one move is being sold as a solution, but Barcelona are already planning as if the young midfielder stays central to what comes next.
There is also a separate squeeze on Liverpool’s own squad picture. Inter remain interested in Curtis Jones and hope to sign him for 35 million euros once Davide Frattesi leaves, while Chelsea are trying to move on players they do not count on, including Tosin Adarabioyo, with Benfica watching that situation closely. This is the kind of market where one phone call can ripple across several clubs at once.
The next step is still unclear, but the direction is not. Liverpool have moved beyond watching Wharton from a distance, and that makes a formal bid the obvious question now. If Palace decide the interest is real enough to invite one, the chase for a midfielder already drawing calls from Manchester United and others will get far more expensive, far faster.
