Opinion: Liverpool now need to break the bank for this midfielder transfer after Martin Zubimendi snub

Liverpool have missed out on the transfer of Martin Zubimendi, who decided to stay with his hometown club of Real Sociedad, but there is surely an option closer to home who wouldn’t have the same issues adapting to a move to Anfield and that’s Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

The 20-year-old has been superb since joining Palace from Blackburn Rovers back in January, and it’s easy to imagine him very quickly being snapped up by an even bigger club, so Liverpool might want to get a move on unless they are to be left disappointed again.

TBR not so long ago reported that Manchester United have been among Wharton’s suitors, while other major clubs in Europe such as Bayern Munich and Juventus have also shown an interest in the player, who made it into the England squad for Euro 2024 earlier this summer.

With his calmness and quality on the ball, Wharton looks destined for a big career and he could be a perfect fit in that deep-lying role for Liverpool, who clearly needed a Zubimendi-like player, while other big names like Bruno Guimaraes would also surely fit the bill.

Wharton may be more realistic, however, as Palace are not in as much of a position to turn down big money like Newcastle are, though it is worth factoring in that they’ve already sold Michael Olise this summer, so probably won’t be too keen to lose another key player without a fight.

Wharton transfer worth Liverpool breaking the bank for

If LFC are to finally spend big money this summer, however, Wharton looks precisely like the kind of talent worth doing it for, with the Reds unlikely to find another young player out there who could be such a strong option for the present and future.

Of course, Liverpool have other positions they need to strengthen after already bringing in four new midfield players last summer, but it’s easy to see why they went for Zubimendi as he would surely be an alternative on unconvincing performers like Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.

Similarly, Wharton could also surely do better than those two, and so Liverpool’s task is now simple – they need to make this an urgent priority for the end of the transfer window or they may not get another chance.