Alonso urged to hijack Liverpool, Man Utd interest in £80m star who would ‘absolutely work at Chelsea’

Incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has been urged to jump ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United in the race to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this summer.

The 44-year-old Spaniard is due to take charge at Stamford Bridge in July, after being handed a four-year contract to replace Liam Rosenior in west London.

Chelsea moved for the former Real Madrid boss after Rosenior’s ill-fated 106-day spell in charge, with the Blues finishing 10th in the Premier League and out of the European places after recording just one win in the final eight games of the season.

The former Liverpool midfielder, who was being heavily tipped to replace Arne Slot at Anfield before his move to the Bridge, is expected to revamp a bloated Chelsea squad that will likely see a number of players be moved on.

One top star tipped to leave is Enzo Fernandez, who continues to push for a £120million (€139m / $160m) switch to Real Madrid, while Manchester City have also shown interest in the Argentine.

And former Chelsea star Andy Townsend has named a perfect replacement for Fernandez in Palace star Wharton, who he believes can form part of the ‘future’ of the club’s midfield alongside Moises Caicedo.

Wharton, who was unfortunate to miss out on England’s World Cup squad, continues to be heavily linked with a Selhurst Park exit, with both Liverpool and Man Utd keen on a player who is expected to cost in the region of £80m (€92.6m / $107m).

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Wharton ‘the future of Chelsea’

Townsend, however, told OLBG: “I could see a Moises Caicedo and Adam Wharton axis as the future of Chelsea.

“If that’s the way that Xabi Alonso wants to do it, whether it’s a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3, then I could absolutely see that working.

“I think Adam Wharton is a very classy player. He reminds me of Michael Carrick, the way Carrick used to play at Manchester United, he always looked like he had a bit of time on the ball.

“He wasn’t the quickest, and you think people would be able to get him and close him down, but that rarely happened. I think Adam Wharton is similar.

“Whenever I watch him play, he always seemingly has his next pass ready, as soon as the ball comes to him, he knows what he’s doing.

“Missing out on the England squad may act as a little bit of an incentive to feel that it’s time to move on. Palace have just enjoyed some success and on the back of that, it would make perfect sense for him to move.

“I think his left foot alongside Caicedo could absolutely work at a place like Chelsea. He is a talented player.

“In this era of players who are physical specimens, it’s nice to see someone who can do a bit of that but also has an elegance about his game. Adam Wharton has that.

“As I said, I think the nearest comparison I could make would be to someone like Michael Carrick, he plays in a very similar way. I think he’d suit Chelsea.”

Midfield is not the only area of the Chelsea squad Alonso is looking to improve this summer, with the new Blues boss also keen to add another striker to his ranks – and the latest reports suggest the club have stepped up their efforts to sign a top Serie A frontman.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have also found out just how much it will cost them to win the growing race to sign Bournemouth sensation Junior Kroupi.