Forget Adam Wharton, Liverpool should sign ‘barbaric’ La Liga sensation instead | OneFootball

Liverpool have had an interest in Adam Wharton for as long as anyone can remember.

The Englishman has been on the Reds' shortlist for a long while now with his performances from Crystal Palace putting him in the upper echelons of Premier League number sixes.

However, with Elliott Anderson joining Manchester City for £116 million and others such as Sandro Tonali joining Tottenham for £100 million, it feels like the market is way too inflated for Liverpool to buy Wharton at the moment.

Indeed, a swap deal including Harvey Elliott has been mooted as a potential way to get costs down but, it feels like there's actually an even better option for Liverpool than Wharton this summer.

Marc Casado should be on top of Liverpool's priority list

One of the main positions that Andoni Iraola and Richard Hughes need to upgrade at Liverpool this summer is their number six.

Ryan Gravenberch may have been one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders during the 2024-25 season but, last term, he was far from that.

Whenever he got on the ball he was always outmuscled by his opponents and, when he got past them, his passes rarely ever made it to their intended targets.

This is one of the main reasons that Liverpool barely got any chances last term as the ball hardly moved up from their defence to their attack.

Gravenberch's lack of form has led to fans demanding that a new defensive midfielder is brought in and now, a perfect player for Liverpool to target has just shared his thoughts about his future.

"I try not to look at the news. I found out that some clubs had signed me through messages from friends… a lot of nonsense comes out," Marc Casado said in quotes relayed by Barca Blaugranes.

"On Monday, I’ll speak with whoever is necessary. With the coach, the club, agents, and we’ll decide what’s best."

Why Marc Casado is a player who makes sense for Liverpool

Liverpool have several areas among their ranks that could do with upgrading.

Arne Slot's men were poor last season and, without multiple new players being brought in, it's unclear how the Reds expect to do any better during the 2026-27 campaign.

However, since so many areas of their squad need new players adding to them, the cheaper deals that Liverpool can get, the better.

So, since Barcelona only want around €20-€30 million for Casado, it makes sense why the Reds should go for him.

This season alone, the Spaniard played 34 games across all competitions for Barcelona and, while he was mainly used as a defensive midfielder, he also played the odd game at right-back.

Not only is Casado two years younger than Gravenberch but as per Fotmob, his statistics in La Liga also look fairly impressive.

He successfully completed 91 per cent of the passes he made during the 2025-26 La Liga season and he also won 53.8 per cent of the aerial duels he attempted.

Casado also made 36 defensive contributions and Barcelona only conceded 10 La Liga goals when he was on the pitch.

These statistics, coupled with his age and his price tag make it clear that the 'barbaric' midfielder is a perfect target for Liverpool this summer and it also outlines why they should forget about Wharton.