Forget Martin Zubimendi - Liverpool could sign £60m 'complete midfielder' to forget all about brutal snub

Things aren’t exactly going to plan for Liverpool on the summer transfer market so far. After a quiet January, many expected the Reds to spring into life once the season ended. But with less than three weeks left until Deadline Day, they remain the only Premier League side still yet to make a signing this summer.

Liverpool have been snubbed of yet another transfer target after Martín Zubimendi, who had emerged as a priority for Arne Slot, changed his mind on where his future lies. The Real Sociedad midfielder was heavily linked with an exit and the Reds had been pursuing his signature to bolster their options in the engine room. However, new information has dropped and Zubimendi has decided to stay with his boyhood club, who made it their mission to convince him to stay in San Sebastián.

While the news will be frustrating for Liverpool fans who have been eagerly awaiting the club’s first signing, there’s little time to worry about the moves that have not come to fruition. The Reds continue to scour the market for their next attempt to sign a new midfielder and fans have already been calling for who it should be.

Some supporters have urged the club to target Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. After a whirlwind year so far, the midfielder has risen into the spotlight and landed himself on several Premier League clubs’ radars. Back in May, TBR Football reported that Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle were all showing interest in the midfielder, having impressed during the second half of the season in a prominent role for the Eagles.

TEAMtalk has since provided an update that Liverpool are still ‘keen’ on bringing Wharton to Anfield. The Reds have been monitoring Palace’s biggest stars over recent weeks, pursuing the highly sought-after Marc Guéhi and the now departed Michael Olise, who snubbed Premier League interest for Bayern Munich.

Liverpool’s mission to bring in a new defensive midfielder has been hit-and-miss since last summer. The departure of Fabinho opened up their need to bring in a similar player but their main target in Roméo Lavia ended up signing for Chelsea. The Reds also missed out on Moisés Caicedo to the Blues, despite tabling a mammoth £111 million for his services.

After losing two targets in a short space of time, they scrambled to sign Wataru Endō. The Japanese international has been a strong addition to the team but Jamie Carragher believes this could be the end of the road for him based on Slot’s pre-season decisions. The Anfield icon said during the latest episode of the Blood Red podcast that he is ‘pretty confident’ Endō will move on.

Wharton is a player who is in a position in his career where settling for a back-up option simply won’t do. After enjoying his prominent role for Crystal Palace and a Euro 2024 call-up, it’s unlikely he will want to spend time on the bench and play mainly in cup competitions. Liverpool would need to make him their first choice defensive midfielder, which they can certainly do if they opt to sell Endō, with Stefan Bajčetić as back-up.

Wharton could be the style of holding midfielder Liverpool are looking for. As highlighted by WhoScored?, one of the 20-year-old’s main strengths is his tackling and he enjoys going in for challenges. Wharton is also strong with ball interception, long balls, key passes and set pieces. He averaged three tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.5 clearances per 90 minutes during his time with Palace last season.

As well as his defensive commitments, he contributed an average of 1.3 key passes per 90 and notched three assists for the Premier League campaign. Football followers on Reddit have discussed Wharton’s ability, with one describing him as ‘better than Kobbie Mainoo’, who has also broke into the spotlight at both club and international level.

If Liverpool want to sign Wharton, who reportedly earns £35,000 per week on his current contract, they will need to look at paying in the range of £60 million, which is what recent reports have claimed is Palace’s asking price. It’s not much more than what Liverpool were willing to splash out on Zubimendi.

A 2023 report from the widely followed talent scout Jacek Kulig also came as a very exciting update for those interested in Wharton.

“Honestly, I was expecting a typical box-to-box midfielder from the Championship. He's so much more than that,” Kulig wrote on social media. “I'd even say he's one of the most exciting English U-19 talents around. Such a quality and complete midfielder.”