Liverpool Eye Adam Wharton Transfer Involving Harvey Elliott Swap
Liverpool are weighing up a bold move for Adam Wharton that could see Harvey Elliott head the other way to Crystal Palace, with the London club standing firm on a premium price for their midfield jewel.
Liverpool’s midfield rethink
Liverpool’s recruitment focus this summer sits, officially at least, on finding a successor to Mohamed Salah out wide. Yet behind that headline search, Fenway Sports Group are also reshaping the heart of the team, and Wharton’s name has never drifted far from the conversation.
Their interest in the Palace midfielder has simmered for months. Now there is the outline of a plan. According to journalist Danny Gallagher, Liverpool are actively exploring a deal for the England international that would include Elliott joining Palace as part of a swap.
It is not a simple makeweight discussion. Elliott, still just 23, spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Aston Villa, where an obligatory buy clause never kicked in because the performance criteria were not met. Arne Slot, in charge at the time, did not see a clear role for him and sanctioned the loan.
Slot has gone. Andoni Iraola has arrived. The new manager wants to assess Elliott himself before signing off on any exit, yet Liverpool’s hierarchy are clearly open to using him as a key piece in negotiations.
Gallagher wrote on X at 1:06pm on July 5: “Understand Liverpool are looking into the logistics to see Harvey Elliott move to Crystal Palace as part of an Adam Wharton agreement, despite Iraola still wanting to run the rule over whether an exit is necessary. Something that could move quickly if all parties agree.”
If Elliott gets the green light, Liverpool believe it could unlock a deal that has looked complicated for months.
Palace dig in over Wharton fee
The obstacle is obvious: Wharton will not come cheap.
Reports last week suggested Liverpool might even be cooling their interest. Journalist Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider on July 3 that the trail had “gone quiet” and questioned whether Wharton would top Iraola’s list, given the style of play the Spaniard implemented at Bournemouth.
O’Rourke also pointed to Palace’s recent history. They have already lost Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi in recent years, and there is little appetite in South London to watch another cornerstone walk away without a fight. With other clubs moving on to different midfield targets – Tottenham, for example, now closing in on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali – Palace suddenly hold an even stronger hand.
They know it. And they are pricing Wharton accordingly.
Back on April 17, TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey revealed Palace’s intention to make Wharton their record sale. Sources have since reiterated that stance: the Eagles want £70m for the 22-year-old.
That figure is no accident. Palace banked £68m from Arsenal for Eze in the summer of 2025. They now want £2m more for Wharton, a clear statement that they rate him as the next, and perhaps most valuable, pillar of their rebuild.
A deal on a knife-edge
So Liverpool find themselves at a familiar crossroads. Push hard for a player they admire at a price that tests their limits, or pivot to alternative midfield options while the winger hunt rumbles on.
The inclusion of Elliott changes the equation, at least in theory. Palace would be getting a Premier League-ready attacker entering his prime, with technical quality and creativity that fits their profile. Liverpool, in turn, would secure a young England international midfielder capable of anchoring their next era.
For now, everything rests on two decisions: Iraola’s verdict on Elliott, and Palace’s resolve over that £70m valuation.
If either softens, this could move quickly. If neither does, Wharton may yet start the new season still wearing Palace colours and still carrying a price tag that tells the rest of the league exactly how highly he is rated at Selhurst Park.
