Manchester City Target Adam Wharton as Rodri Successor

Manchester City have already thrown £116 million at their midfield with the signing of Elliot Anderson. It may not be enough.

With Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner Rodri gone to Barcelona, City’s recruitment radar has swung firmly towards Adam Wharton, the 22-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder whose rise has been impossible to ignore.

He is no longer just a promising youngster at Selhurst Park. He is a Three Lions international with medals to show for it – FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League triumphs all banked in just two-and-a-half seasons in south London. His stock has rocketed. So has the level of interest.

City are in the conversation. Liverpool never really leave it.

Liverpool watching closely

The Reds have tracked Wharton’s development and, if the market opens up, they are expected to be right in the thick of any scramble for his signature. A bidding war would suit Palace. It would test the resolve of every club involved.

Ray Houghton knows both sides of this tug-of-war. He has patrolled midfields at Anfield and Selhurst Park and understands exactly why Wharton is turning heads on Merseyside.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL via Football Betting, Houghton did not hesitate when asked about the youngster’s potential.

“I listen to people who I've played with and who've got a good eye for midfielders. I know Jan Molby, he's a big fan of Adam. He spoke about him highly on numerous occasions and I trust Jan's judgment. He knows the game, he knows the position. He feels that there's a real player in there that can do well.”

Houghton’s endorsement did not stop there. He recalled a conversation with Wharton after Palace’s win at Anfield last season.

“I spoke to Adam, actually, when they [Palace] beat Liverpool last season. I was at the game and after the match I was talking to Mark Bright and Adam came out. He’s a really down-to-earth lad, really, really lovely kid. It was a joy to speak to him and just listen to him and he just wants to be the best that he can.

“He's got a great attitude. If anyone was to ask me, what do you think of Adam Wharton, I'd say great attitude. He wants to be successful. He's got all the ingredients there for being a top player.”

That attitude is part of the attraction for Liverpool, who are still reshaping a midfield that has undergone major surgery over the past few windows.

“At the moment, I still think Liverpool need a few additions before they really get going,” Houghton said, underlining why a player with Wharton’s profile and mentality sits high on so many shortlists.

Palace’s dilemma and the price of progress

All of this interest comes with a cost – and not just for the buying clubs.

Palace picked Wharton up from Blackburn Rovers for just £18m. That now looks like one of the sharpest pieces of business in recent Premier League windows. Any sale will be a very different conversation. The expectation is that Palace will demand at least four times that figure, with the full package potentially nudging towards nine figures.

Houghton sounded a note of caution for his former club as they weigh up what to do.

“At the minute, the only worry with Palace is they can't keep selling players. [Marc] Guehi went and now [Maxence] Lacroix's gone and they're moving players around. To have any modicum of success, you can't keep doing that. You look at what they've won, three trophies they've been involved in. One thing you don't want to do is keep changing players.”

That is the tension at the heart of Palace’s model. Develop, sell, reinvest – but not so often that the team’s core disappears.

If Liverpool or City arrive with a serious offer, the decision becomes even tougher.

“If a club like Liverpool comes knocking for you, you're going to be tempted, aren't you? Simple as that if you're Adam Wharton,” Houghton admitted. “It's just whether he's the right fit for the manager and that's what it'll come down to.”

How high could the fee go?

Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison has already sketched out the kind of numbers that might force the club’s hand.

“Yeah, £60m, £70m - if someone wants to pay £80m, I think they’d bite your hand off. But yeah, definitely at least £60-70 million,” he told GOAL when asked what it would take to prise Wharton away from Selhurst Park.

From Palace’s point of view, the logic is simple.

“If you look at how young he is and the talent he’s got, and the clubs that will be knocking on the door for him, then Palace are right to say £60-70 million. It’s good money for another player they’ve developed. He’s a top player.

“But yeah, he’s got all the attributes and there will come a time where he needs to go to one of the top four or five teams, or maybe go and play in Europe, because you need to keep improving yourself as a player.”

That time may be approaching fast.

City need a new heartbeat after Rodri. Liverpool still feel a couple of signings short. Palace want to compete, but know the market when an elite midfielder in his early twenties starts drawing glances from the game’s heavyweights.

The next move, and the next fee, will say plenty about where Wharton sits in the modern transfer landscape – and where he intends to take his career.