New England international Adam Wharton brushed off reported interest from Liverpool before making his way to the Premier League. Wharton capped a whirlwind six months by making his England debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday night.
The Crystal Palace midfielder was a surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate's provisional squad for the European Championships but has a shot at being named in the final list for the tournament this summer, despite starting last season in the Championship.
Wharton had caught the eye of several Premier League clubs while at Blackburn. 90min reported that Liverpool was keeping an eye on his progress last summer.
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Wharton was not fazed by the links to Liverpool. He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "I think it’s something that comes part and parcel with being a footballer. I don’t tend to read much into that
"A lot of the stuff you see, you don’t even know if it’s true. Most of the time, I find out on Twitter myself like everyone else. I am not too interested in it."
Wharton eventually joined Palace in a $28m (£22m/€26m) deal in January and enjoyed a fine second half of the season. He was particularly impressive in the Eagles' 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
Those transfer links have re-emerged this summer as Arne Slot prepares for his first transfer window as Liverpool boss. TBR claims Liverpool is considering a move but should the Reds reignite their interest, there will be plenty of competition.
According to The Independent, Bayern Munich reportedly sees Wharton as a long-term solution in midfield and could launch a $77m (£60m/€70m) bid. Palace has no intention to sell but such a fee would see Oliver Glasner's side almost triple its money.
Liverpool.com says: Wharton has already shown his talent at the top level and it would not be a surprise to see him make England's final Euro 2024 squad. He got the nod over Curtis Jones as a substitute against Bosnia and there is a reason why big clubs are looking at him.
It does appear that Palace pulled off a bargain when it completed a deal and we will never know how keen Liverpool really was a year ago. But if that interest is to be rekindled now, the transfer fee will be considerably higher.
