Manchester United have apparently been encouraged to make a move for one of their primary midfield objectives, Adam Wharton, after Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish conceded that the Eagles are preparing themselves for the possible exit of vital players this summer.
Ruben Amorim is actively aiming to overhaul his midfield unit in 2026, with the likes of Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, Joao Gomes and Conor Gallagher all firmly on United’s shortlist.
TEAMtalk has repeatedly detailed Man Utd’s admiration for England international Wharton, and now that opportunity appears to have been thrown wide open following Parish’s remarks regarding the £70million-valued (€80m / $93m) standout.
Palace offloaded Eberechi Eze to Arsenal during the summer, just 11 months after Bayern Munich forked out £50m for Michael Olise, and now, speaking to The Athletic, Parish has acknowledged the club could lose more essential players when the 2025/26 season wraps up.
“We’ve got one eye on players who we might have to replace in the summer,” he said.
“We’re not going to throw it all on red and have a massive problem. Unless you want to be in a situation where you’re constantly putting in money every year, there’s a cash limit to what you can spend.
“You can’t spend money you don’t have. You have to have some guardrails as a club, or you’ll build up big problems down the track. Everyone saw where prices went in the summer; it’s a difficult landscape.”
Parish’s comments come shortly after disclosures from Wharton’s agent, James Featherstone, who revealed that the midfielder nurtures ambitions of reaching the pinnacle of the game.
“When he was at Blackburn we sat down and spoke about shooting for the stars and playing for England,” he told talkSPORT.
“So how do you get there? Personally I think to play for England you have to play Champions League, to play in the Champions League you have got to play for one of the top teams in one of the top leagues.
“That jump to a Champions League team, I think you can get lost. The plan below that was to play for a Premier League team. We have got a plan. He is 21. I have to check myself to remember that every now and then. It doesn’t have to be achieved yesterday, today or this moment.
“He has got his in-game, in-season targets and goals. He has got to do his bit and the rest will look after itself in a very structured, calm way to ultimately add value and maximise his ability.”