Liverpool to miss dream £80m midfield target as two sources reveal surprise transfer decision

Liverpool appear likely to miss out on the signing of Adam Wharton this summer, with Crystal Palace reaching a firm decision over the £80m-rated England star – while a report has named two alternatives the Reds could look to target instead.

The 2025/26 season will be quickly filed under ‘must do better’ after Slot’s side lost their grip on the Premier League title and only managed to secure a top-five finish on the final day. Having also failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of any of the three cup competitions, Liverpool finished the campaign without any silverware to their name.

Worse yet, a staggering 19 losses across all competitions were indicative of a side that was all too easy to beat. And with Liverpool outfought, out-thought and all too easily outrun this season, bolstering the midfield is now seen as one of the club’s major areas to improve this summer.

Off the back of that, one name strongly linked with a move to Anfield this summer is Wharton, who has developed into one of the Premier League’s leading young central midfielders since moving to Crystal Palace in February 2024.

However, two sources now claim that the 22-year-old – who recently missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad – is poised to remain with the Eagles for one more season, with the promise of a new deal coinciding with the club’s qualification for next season’s Europa League.

Per Sky Sports, Palace are hopeful of retaining the midfielder’s services following their UEFA Conference League victory earlier this week.

“Crystal Palace want to try and convince Adam Wharton to stay for one more season,” reporter James Savundra stated. “He’s had the heartbreak of missing out on the England World Cup squad. But he’ll feel boosted by winning another major trophy for Crystal Palace.

“They had 60 matches this season, and they could have a similar number of matches next season now they are playing Europa League football. They’d love to keep the core of the squad together.”

Meanwhile, the BBC claim that the Eagles are in a ‘strong position’ to not only keep Wharton but ‘are open to offering’ him a new contract, despite his current arrangement still having three years left to run.

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Liverpool have two midfield alternatives in mind

If Liverpool do miss out on Wharton, it’s reported that FSG have two alternatives in mind in the form of Kees Smit and Archie Gray.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League survival, though, will now mean a move to prise the England Under-21 star away from north London will prove a tough task, and with Roberto De Zerbi underlining his belief in the 20-year-old’s talents.

Had Spurs failed in their quest to avoid the drop, then the possibility of luring him away would have been fuelled and given the Reds hope a deal would be there to be done.

However, that now looks off the menu with Spurs looking to retain his services and build for a brighter future following successive 17th-placed finishes.

Smit, though, does look to be an option for the Reds, despite the midfielder’s admission recently that he was holding out for a move to Real Madrid.

“[I’d like to play in] La Liga. Playing there would be great. I love the sun; I’m tired of playing in so much cold and rain, so I’d love to go and play in Spain,” Smit revealed.

“Ideally, I’d like to take the next step at another team in the Netherlands, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I never considered leaving AZ. My dream was to play here for the rest of my life.”

However, with links to Real not really gathering pace, there could be an opening there for Liverpool to exploit and with AZ open to his sale this summer.

A move, though, will not come cheap, with sources indicating AZ will demand more than €60million (£52.2m, $70.6m) for Smit,

Our transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey, first reported on December 30, last year, that Liverpool are among the clubs keen on a 2026 deal for Smit.

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