Blackburn Rovers dealt blow as Chelsea, Liverpool eye Adam Wharton transfer raid | OneFootball

Crystal Palace are demanding huge money for Wharton, meaning Blackburn may not benefit from his sell-on clause this summer

Blackburn will head into the 2026/27 Championship season with Tony Mowbray back at Ewood Park as the manager.

The previous campaign was a testing one for Rovers, and the excellent work of Michael O’Neill was required to keep the club in the division.

However, when Blackburn couldn’t finalise an agreement to bring the Northern Ireland boss in permanently, they had to look elsewhere, and, after weeks of speculation, it was confirmed that the popular Mowbray had returned to the club.

Now, it’s about backing him as much as possible in the window, but, like all Blackburn managers in recent years, Mowbray will know that he is working on a tight budget.

Blackburn could be priced out of Adam Wharton windfall this summer

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But, one way Blackburn’s financial situation could improve would be if former player Adam Wharton secured a transfer away this summer.

The academy graduate left Rovers for Selhurst Park in the January window in 2024, and he has gone on to become a huge player for Palace, which included helping them win the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League.

As part of the initial £17.5m deal, Blackburn inserted a 15% sell-on clause, which will be applied to any profit that Palace make on his exit.

So, all connected to the Championship side will be watching on with interest as top clubs in the Premier League are linked to the classy midfielder.

Yet, in an update shared by reporter Alan Nixon, it seems Palace are doing all they can to retain the 22-year-old, as they have put a £100m price tag on the player.

He adds that the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool, who are believed to be interested, only value Wharton in the £50-60m range, so there is a massive gap at this stage.

Blackburn will be hoping Adam Wharton’s rise continues

Of course, this is a normal way of negotiating, and as well as putting a high price tag on Wharton, Palace will want to keep him for another year at least.

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With the club in the Europa League, they will fancy their chances of doing just that, so it would be no surprise if Blackburn had to wait a little longer for that Wharton windfall.

But, it does seem inevitable that he will get a big-money transfer at some point relatively soon in his career.

Wharton’s ability on the ball is clear to see, and many observers are shocked that he didn’t make Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, which was a shame for Blackburn too, as had he enjoyed a brilliant tournament with the Three Lions, his value and profile would’ve only increased.

Nevertheless, he won’t have to wait long until he is playing at the highest level regularly, but, unfortunately for Rovers, it doesn’t seem as though anything is imminent, and they may have to wait until 2027, at the earliest, for the extra millions that his sale would no doubt bring to the club.

So, Mowbray and the recruitment team will be working to their current plan, but we know that things can change quickly in football, and if a buying club does stump up serious cash for Wharton, it could be a nice bonus for Blackburn in this crucial summer window.