Man Utd get Adam Wharton transfer boost as Crystal Palace chief explains summer plan

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Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has acknowledged the club are bracing themselves for the potential departure of key players this summer amid Manchester United's interest in Adam Wharton . Wharton is among the top targets at Old Trafford as Ruben Amorim looks to bolster his midfield options.

United tried to secure Carlos Baleba from Brighton and Hove Albion in August but chose to allocate the rest of their transfer funds toward a new goalkeeper. Bringing in a new midfielder is United's main priority heading into the January transfer window , with both Baleba and Wharton featuring prominently on their shortlist.

The Red Devils have recently turned their attention towards Premier League-proven talent, having splashed out over £120 million on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo last summer . Wharton has three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract at Palace following his switch to Selhurst Park from Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of 2024.

The England international is among several Palace assets who have been linked with lucrative moves away from south London. Marc Guehi came close to joining Liverpool toward the end of the summer window, while Jean-Philippe Mateta was reportedly attracting interest from United.

Palace sold Eberechi Eze to Arsenal for approximately £60m in the summer, just 11 months after Bayern Munich shelled out £50m for Michael Olise, reports the Manchester Evening News . Speaking to The Athletic , Parish has admitted the club may lose further crucial players when the 2025/26 campaign concludes. "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.

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"There wasn't the right thing available at the right time when the finances were in place. There's no point in doing something for the sake of it. How are you going to get someone to come and tell them they are No 1 in Ebs [Eze] position if you still have him? The one where we didn't, with Marc [Gueh], we kept him.

"You can't always make happen what you want to. We are where we are in the pecking order; you could ask why other clubs make bids for our players two weeks before the end of the window. I don't know why they did that."

Parish's remarks follow revelations from Wharton's agent, James Featherstone, who disclosed that the midfielder harbours aspirations of reaching the very top. "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."

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