Wharton Edges Closer to Anfield as Liverpool Close in on Crystal Palace Midfielder

Liverpool appear to be inching towards landing Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, with the 21-year-old midfielder having already given the green light to a potential move to Anfield on a five-year agreement.

The Reds' interest in the England international comes amid a challenging campaign on the domestic front. After capturing the Premier League title last season under Arne Slot, Liverpool have struggled this time around, dropping to fifth place following Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth. The loss allowed Manchester United to leapfrog them after beating Arsenal.

With speculation mounting over Slot's future and whispers of a managerial overhaul on the horizon, incoming boss Xabi Alonso is understood to have identified Wharton as a prime summer target. The Palace midfielder, who has earned three caps for his country, fits the profile of player the former Real Sociedad manager wants to bring in during the next transfer window.

Wharton's exit from Selhurst Park looks increasingly likely, particularly given the anticipated upheaval at Palace. Manager Oliver Glasner is departing, whilst forward Jean-Philippe Mateta has already indicated his desire to move elsewhere. The stage appears set for significant changes in south London.

Back in November, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano outlined Palace's position on their prized asset. The club had been actively pursuing a contract extension, having held multiple discussions with Wharton's representatives about fresh terms. Romano noted that despite previous opportunities to depart, Wharton had remained professional and committed to the Eagles, who viewed him as untouchable.

"At the same time, let's see what's going to happen there, because the boy has been super professional already last summer, when he already had some kind of opportunity if he wanted to go," Romano explained at the time. "But for Palace, he was untouchable."

However, Romano acknowledged that circumstances could shift dramatically come the summer transfer window, particularly should a substantial financial offer materialise. "So at the moment, there is this intention from Palace to give him a new contract, but we are not yet at the stage where we say, okay, it's guaranteed, because it's still early stages of the conversation," he added.

Those early-stage conversations appear to have evolved considerably. Italian transfer correspondent Nicolo Schira has now reported that Wharton is "getting closer" to Liverpool, with the midfielder having already indicated his availability to join the Reds and accepted the terms of a five-year deal on the table.