Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has attracted interest from the Etihad Stadium in the final weeks of the transfer window, as per a new report.
The 21-year-old is under contract at Selhurst Park till 2029 and has emerged as one of the most promising midfielders in Europe after an eye-catching few seasons in south London, with City keeping tabs on the Englishman.
Wharton was of interest to Manchester City last summer but Crystal Palace’s valuation of the 21-year-old as well as a sensational return of Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona meant a move never materalised.
In hindsight however, City would have liked to recruit more aggressively last summer, so much so that chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admitted the same in a review of the 2024-25 campaign. Nico Gonzalez was signed from Porto in January, with Rodri suffering an ACL injury in September 2024.
Manchester City have monitored Wharton’s progress in recent seasons and kept a dialogue open with Crystal Palace officials, whose valuation of one of their brightest midfielders has been a stumbling block in the course of a potential deal.
Meanwhile, City have added Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki to their midfield ranks in this window as they await the return of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic to full fitness ahead of the first international break of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Blues have undergone a busy summer and changes have been made aplenty to move on from last season’s troubles and form a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles in the seasons to come.
Guardiola committed his future till 2027 to Manchester City in the fall of 2024 and with less than a week left in the summer transfer window, the Spaniard will have his eyes on any openings in the market after his side suffered an eye-opening 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium last week.
As reported by AS in Spain last week and relayed by Sport Witness, Wharton is attracting widespread interest from clubs across Europe in the final lap of the window and is valued at around €80 million by Crystal Palace.
Real Madrid have identified the England international as an ideal long-term replacement for the departed Luka Modric, though Palace’s hefty asking price for the midfielder means a move will only commence in the event of a lucrative sale in the Spanish capital.
In England, Manchester United are understood to hold the strongest interest in Wharton, who is also being monitored by Liverpool and Manchester City in the last week of what has been a roller-coaster window of dealings in the Premier League.
City were handed a brutal reality check of the Premier League’s standards against Tottenham and with Guardiola’s men evidently lacking legs and inspiration in midfield last term, it remains to be seen whether a late swoop for Wharton could be of appeal to newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana.