Andoni Iraola green lights stunning £78m Liverpool swoop for Curtis Jones replacement

Liverpool are reportedly ready to accelerate their efforts to sign a dynamic replacement for Curtis Jones, but it will cost them in the region of £78million to get the deal over the line.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday that Inter Milan have a verbal agreement in place with Liverpool for a deal to sign Jones totalling €35million (£30m).

The midfielder will become the fifth player to depart Anfield in some capacity this summer, and the first on a permanent deal, but will leave new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola a little short on numbers in his engine room.

To that end, it’s now being reported that the Reds have stepped up their efforts to bring Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton to Merseyside, as they look to beat the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid to the England international’s signature.

The 22-year-old has long been linked with a switch to Liverpool and is ready to take the next step in his career, having excelled at Selhurst Park since his £18m move from Blackburn back in February 2024.

And now the Daily Mirror reports that Iraola has given the green light for a raid on Palace to land Wharton as his new defensive midfield pivot, in a move that would allow Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai to operate in more advanced roles.

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Palace holding out for £78m for Wharton

Wharton will not come cheap, however, with the Eagles having placed a price tag of around £78m on his head, amid interest from a number of top clubs over multiple windows.

His ability to break up play, coupled with his outstanding passing range would give Iraola an immediate upgrade over Jones, whose 16-year association with the club is poised to come to an end.

It’s also worth considering that the £78m price tag for a 22-year-old full England international with three years remaining on his contract is not that exorbitant, considering the big fees splashed out on his Three Lions teammates Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon so far this summer.

Signing Wharton would also give the Reds a strong nucleus of young talent to build around for the future.

Indeed, Hugo Ekitike is still only 24, summer signing Jeremy Jacquet is 21, Giovanni Leoni is 19, Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz are both 23, while Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumhoa are also in their teens.

Our sources also indicate that Liverpool have big plans for Nyoni, who is expected to see more game time in midfield this season, regardless of whether Wharton signs or not.

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