Real Madrid are going through an overhaul this summer as they have strengthened their backline with some statement signings in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras.
Los Blancos have also signed Franco Mastantuono from River Plate to provide more impetus in attack, they now need a midfielder who will be responsible for initiating attacks and controlling the tempo.
The Spanish giants have replaced Toni Kroos or Luka Modric properly with a midfielder of the similar mold and therefore Xabi Alonso has asked the club hierarchy to sign someone with such traits.
There have been many names circulating in the media but as per Diario AS, Real Madrid are keeping close tabs on Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton as he is thought to be the perfect player to fix Real’s issues in midfield.
However, Wharton is one of the most highly rated midfielders in the Premier League and clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and even Liverpool are also interested in the 21-year-old.
Out of the three, United are the only club likely to make a move for the England international as they are desperately looking for an alternative to Carlos Baleba.
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Meanwhile, Real Madrid lack a deep-lying playmaker in their roster and therefore after losing out on Martin Zubimendi, they are eyeing a move for the Palace maestro.
As per several reports, Crystal Palace are in no mood to let go of their midfield maestro and only a bid in the region of £120m ($162m) would gather their attention.
What will Adam Wharton bring to this Real Madrid roster?
Real Madrid already have a lot of midfield talent in place with the likes of Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos but Alonso needs someone who can fill up the void left by Modric.
He believes that Wharton could be that answer to his problem mainly because of great passing range, vision, game-reading and excellent controlling capabilities. He still needs to develop more physicality but that will happen with time.
Wharton started his youth career at Blackburn Rovers and gained popularity there before moving to Crystal Palace in 2024 February.
Last season wasn’t his best as he suffered a groin injury and missed three months of action. He still featured in 27 matches for the Eagles and played a big role in helping them win the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over City in the finals.
As per Fbref, the 21-year-old averaged 4.11 shot-creating actions, 7.21 progressive passes, 1.35 interceptions and 1.82 clearances per 90 minutes.
Wharton was also part of England’s 26-man squad for the Euros 2024 where he remained an unused substitute as Gareth Southgate’s men reached the finals.
Overall, Wharton has every quality that could fix Real Madrid’s midfield conundrum, but he is a youngster who needs proper backing and patience to flourish.
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