Football
Exclusive: Crystal Palace Confident of Securing Adam Wharton Amid Manchester United Interest
Crystal Palace is confident about securing a new deal with England midfielder Adam Wharton, despite interest from Manchester United. The club is determined to keep the talented player and negotiations for a contract extension are currently underway.
Crystal Palace FC v AZ Alkmaar - UEFA Conference League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 by Ryan Pierse | Getty Images
Crystal Palace are quietly confident they can tie England midfielder Adam Wharton to a new and improved deal amidst growing interest from Manchester United, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The 21-year-old is still under contract under 2029, but our sources have learnt the Eagles are keen to improve Wharton’s terms and pack packet to keep him at Selhurst Park for longer.
The South London club shelled out an initial £18million for Wharton in February 2024, potentially rising to £22m.
Wharton penned a five-and-a-half-year deal for the Premier League side and has been a big hit in the top-flight since his arrival.
And that’s why Manchester United, as well as a string of other top clubs, having been sniffing around trying to prize the player away from the Eagles.
Wharton, who has now played 58 games for Palace and is enjoying his third season in the Premier League, recently played down speculation around his future and constant links to United.
"There are always rumours floating about on social media,” he said. “Is it true? Is it not? You tell me."
"[But] I don't really look into it or think too much about it."
"My friends, my family, my brothers, everyone will message me and be like, 'Is it true this club's interested?'
“I'm like, 'Thanks for telling me because I didn't know.'"
IMPROVEMENT
Wharton played 16 games in the top-flight in his first season with the Eagles and 20 last term.
This season he has already played nine Premier League games and is looking to build on making his senior England debut last June in a 3-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was an unused substitute in the national side’s UEFA 2024 squad.
Wharton was a key player as Palace won the FA Cup last season, as well as clinching the Community Shield.
The Eagles already regard the tough-tackling midfielder as a star, but at 21 the club believe his best years are ahead of him and that’s why they are hungry to get a new deal agreed before the January transfer window opens.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.