“He could be one” – Lewis Steele provides update on Liverpool’s midfield transfer plans | OneFootball

Adam Wharton Interest Shows Liverpool’s Midfield Search Is Still Alive

Liverpool’s interest in Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton remains one of those transfer stories that refuses to fully disappear. On Anfield Index, Trev Downey asked Lewis Steele about Wharton, Harvey Elliott and whether anything had shifted around a possible midfield move.

Wharton Deal Remains Quiet

Downey framed the discussion by saying the Wharton deal had previously seemed “sort of there to be done”, with the key issue being whether Liverpool would be willing to meet the price.

Steele’s answer was measured. On the Harvey Elliott element, he said: “I’m not sure about the Harvey Elliott aspect.” He added that he had checked with people “at both ends of the deal”, including sources close to Palace, and they had “played that down for now.”

That matters because swap-style transfer talk can often make a deal feel more advanced than it is. In this case, Steele made clear that, “as it stands, Palace aren’t really looking into that one, but obviously that could easily change.”

Palace Hold Strong Position

The most important point was price. Steele said: “The Wharton one, it seems like to me Palace are after an awful lot of money for him.”

That sentence carries the whole weight of the discussion. Liverpool may like Wharton, and the need for a midfielder appears clear, but Palace are not weak sellers. Steele pointed to last summer’s Marc Guéhi pursuit as a reminder of how firm they can be in negotiations, saying Liverpool’s chase “ultimately” ended “with them not getting the man.”

There is one possible pressure point, though. Steele added: “If Wharton wanted to go or if any of them want to go, they’d be fools to stand in his way.” Even then, he stressed that Palace “do have all the cards on their side in terms of the negotiating for a deal.”

Photo: IMAGO

Liverpool Midfield Plan Still Developing

Steele did not present Wharton as an imminent Liverpool transfer. His wording was careful, and that feels significant.

“It’s quiet on that one at the moment to be honest,” he said. “I don’t know whether that’s a case of Liverpool being completely off the idea or whether they’re just keeping their powder dry for after the World Cup.”

He also made the broader point that transfer deals often take longer than supporters expect, saying “a lot of people expect everything to be wrapped up in days where really it takes weeks for clubs to sort things out.”

That is where the Adam Wharton story currently sits. Not dead, not advanced, not dismissed. Steele summed it up neatly: “I think it’s clear that Liverpool are in for a midfielder and he could be one, but I’ve not really heard anything to suggest it’s anything more than, you know, he’s an idea that’s been floated around.”

For Liverpool, Wharton makes obvious sense as a profile to discuss. For Crystal Palace, he looks like a player they can demand serious money for. For Andoni Iraola, the question is whether Liverpool wait, negotiate and test Palace’s stance, or move elsewhere in a midfield market that is only starting to move.