£18m player has a gentleman’s agreement to leave his club amid rumours Liverpool want him

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Liverpool have managed to improve their ranks massively this season.

The Reds have forged one of the best teams in the world with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak now among their first-team squad.

Indeed, it’s still going to take some time for all of Arne Slot’s men to gel with one another, but once they do, it’s hard to think of a team that could stop them.

At the moment, they’re gearing up to face Crystal Palace on Saturday, with the two clubs being the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League at the moment.

The Eagles’ ranks are filled to the brim with talent, but ahead of the summer transfer window, it’s the performances of Adam Wharton that have caught Slot’s eye.

Adam Wharton has a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Crystal Palace this summer

Wharton has been consistently linked with a Liverpool move for as long as many can remember.

The defensive midfielder was signed by Palace for around £18million from Blackburn Rovers.

Since then, he’s come on leaps and bounds with the midfielder even making his debut for England’s national team.

Other players, such as Carlos Baleba, have also been linked, but according to journalist Ben Jacobs, it’s Wharton who should be the one to keep an eye on due to his “gentleman’s agreement” with Palace.

“Yeah, at the moment I’m not really aware of Liverpool making a particular push for a deeper-lying midfielder. If anything, should Liverpool add, it might be more of an attacking midfielder,” he said on The United Stand.

“With the likes of Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba. We know that they’re going to be in demand. My understanding with Wharton is there’s kind of a gentleman’s agreement in place allowing him to leave Crystal Palace next summer. So that’s clearly going to be one to watch.

Liverpool will need to sign a new defensive midfielder soon

Although Ryan Gravenberch is bound to be Liverpool’s starting number six for years to come, it’s clear that a backup for the Dutchman is needed.

Indeed, the club have Wataru Endo as the second choice defensive midfielder at the moment, but once his contract expires, it feels unlikely that the Japan international will be offered an extension.

This means that, unless the likes of Stefan Bajcetic or James McConnell manage to live up to their potential, the Reds will be rather short in the middle of the park.

Of course, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and even Alexis Mac Allister could all be used there if needed, but sooner or later, a new midfielder will have to be brought in.

Both Wharton and Baleba would be impressive options for the Reds to try and sign, but the main question would be whether they’d be willing to play second fiddle.

At the moment, it’s anyone’s guess what could happen, but if Wharton does actually have a gentleman’s agreement with Steve Parish, then Slot could end up taking the Eagles’ two best players next summer.

Because, as long as Marc Guehi doesn’t change his mind, he’s likely to become a Liverpool player at the end of the season.