Liverpool's Bold Move for Adam Wharton: A Potential Swap with Harvey Elliott
Liverpool are weighing up a bold move for Adam Wharton that could drag Harvey Elliott into the middle of one of the summer’s most intriguing Premier League transfer sagas.
The Anfield hierarchy, already juggling the sizeable task of replacing Mohamed Salah, are also pushing hard to reshape the midfield. Wharton, Crystal Palace’s rising England international, has been on their radar for months. Now the idea is clear: Wharton to Liverpool, Elliott to Palace, one deal, two careers redirected.
Liverpool’s midfield reset
Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, want a winger to fill the void left by Salah. That is the headline job. But behind it runs a second track: fresh legs and a different profile in midfield.
Wharton fits that brief. Palace’s 22-year-old has quickly grown into one of the most coveted young midfielders in the league, and Liverpool’s interest has never really gone away, despite recent suggestions that the trail had gone cold.
The plan has taken shape in recent days. Journalist Danny Gallagher reported that Liverpool are actively exploring the logistics of a swap-style agreement, with Elliott heading to Selhurst Park as part of a package for Wharton. The post, made on X at 1:06pm on July 5, underlined that Andoni Iraola still wants to assess Elliott himself before signing off on any exit, but also hinted at the speed with which the move could escalate if all sides fall into line.
That is the tension at the heart of this story. A new manager, a talented but unsettled player, and a club chasing a major midfield signing.
Elliott’s uncertain future
Elliott’s Liverpool future has been drifting for some time.
He spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Aston Villa after Arne Slot decided he was not part of his immediate plans. The deal included an obligatory buy clause, but only if certain criteria were met. They weren’t. Elliott returned to Anfield, his long-term status no clearer than before.
Now Iraola is in the chair, and the 23-year-old is effectively in limbo. The Spaniard wants to “run the rule” over him before agreeing to any sale, yet the possibility of using Elliott as leverage in a Wharton move has clearly been placed on the table.
If Liverpool push hard for Wharton and Palace play ball, Elliott could find his next chapter written for him.
Palace dig in over Wharton price
There is a problem for Liverpool. Wharton will not come cheap.
TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey reported back in April that Palace want the midfielder to become their record sale. Club sources have now indicated that the asking price is set at £70m.
The benchmark is already there. Palace banked £68m from Arsenal for Eberechi Eze in the summer of 2025. They want £2m more for Wharton, a clear statement of how highly they rate him and how strong they feel their negotiating position is.
That stance tallies with what journalist Pete O’Rourke outlined on July 3. He stressed that Palace, having already lost Michael Olise, Eze and Marc Guehi in recent seasons, are in no rush to cash in on another cornerstone of their project. Wharton is under contract, Palace are “in the box seat”, and rival clubs have started to move on to other midfield targets.
Tottenham, once heavily linked, are now closing in on deals for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. Other suitors have gone quiet. Palace, for now, hold their ground.
A deal that could move fast – or not at all
That is what makes Liverpool’s latest manoeuvre so intriguing. Only days ago, there were whispers that the Reds had cooled their interest in Wharton altogether. Now, with a potential Elliott swap in the mix, the story has sprung back to life.
So much rests on Iraola’s judgement. Does he see Elliott as a key piece in his Palace rebuild, a wide forward who can grow into a central role at Selhurst Park? Or does he decide he can live without him, forcing Liverpool to find a different way to hit Palace’s £70m valuation?
Liverpool’s need is clear. The squad is evolving, the midfield is being reshaped, and Wharton looks like a player who could anchor that next phase. Palace’s position is just as firm. If Wharton leaves, he does so on their terms.
Somewhere between those two realities sits Elliott, waiting to find out which shirt he will be pulling on when the new season begins.
