Manchester United are keen on bolstering their midfield in January with Adam Wharton emerging as a top target for Ruben Amorim’s side, reports TEAMtalk.
United sought to add a new midfielder over the summer with Carlos Baleba high on the club’s wish list.
However, the Manchester side were unable to convince Brighton to sell one of their prized assets and a deal failed to come to fruition.
Reports at the time suggested that United would return for the Cameroon international in the New Year, yet they appear to have turned their attention to Crystal Palace sensation Wharton.
The 21-year-old joined Palace from Championship side Blackburn last year, the Eagles beating off competition from Chelsea for the youngster.
And Wharton has gone on to become a mainstay in the Palace side, playing a key role in their FA Cup triumph over Manchester City back in May.
European heavyweights keen on Palace star
Wharton, who has one England cap to his name and was part of the England squad at Euro 2024, is one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe.
With European experience also under his belt, Wharton’s list of admirers continues to grow. Bundesliga side Bayern Munich had previously been credited with an interest in the Palace star, while Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all admirers of the England international.
United are now hoping to steal a march on their rivals in the race to sign Wharton, though they’d need to pay at least £70m to prise the player away from Selhurst Park midway through the season.
The same report also lists Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham and FC Porto teenager Victor Froholdt as alternative midfield targets.
While Palace are keen to retain Wharton’s services, club chairman Steve Parish delivered a major twist as speculation over the player’s future at the club continues to mount.
“I think Adam at some point will want to play either in the Champions League with us, if we can make that happen, or probably with another club,” Parish said.
Palace supremo drops Wharton to United hint
And Parish even hinted that United are keen to sign Wharton, adding: “If Manchester United want Adam Wharton, that's nothing surprising really about that.
“The fact of the matter is he's got a long contract to run. There's no pressure on us to do it, and I don't think there's any real pressure from the player either.”
It’s no secret that United are keen to add a new midfielder as soon as possible as Amorim continues with a partnership of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro in the middle of the park in his favoured 3-4-2-1 setup.
Manuel Ugarte is seemingly not in favour under his former Sporting CP boss, while Kobbie Mainoo has been linked with a January exit with a switch to Napoli rumoured.
United return to domestic action with a tough trip to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon as they look to win back-to-back league games for the first time under Amorim since his appointment last November.
Palace, meanwhile, host Bournemouth as the south London side seek a return to winning ways having seen their 19-game unbeaten run end late on at Everton in the final round of games before the international break.
