Liverpool are unlikely to have to pay anything close to £100m to sign Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace this summer, according to journalist David Lynch.
Wharton has emerged as a top target for the Reds as they aim to fix what has become an incredibly leaky midfield.
However, the 22-year-old has seen his value skyrocket during another excellent season with Palace, with recent claims putting his asking price at nine figures.
What are your thoughts on a possible return to Liverpool for Nunez?
He's leaving Al Hilal. Perhaps Andoni Iraola's chaotic style could get the best out of him…
Speaking to Anfield Index on Monday, though, Lynch says that to his understanding, Wharton would not cost anything like £100m this summer.
Liverpool won’t pay £100m for Wharton
Lynch has spoken before on Liverpool’s interest in Wharton, previously claiming that the Reds have done significant work on the England international ever since he broke onto the scene at Blackburn.
This is something he has now reiterated, while also debunking claims in the press that Liverpool would need at least £100m to bring Wharton to Anfield.
“I’m not sure that’s true at all, that that’s what he would go for,” Lynch said. “There was talk a while ago, which kind of tallied with my understanding of it, that he could be got for a lot less this coming summer and that was the idea he was working on with Crystal Palace and with potential suitors.”
READ MORE: Liverpool’s hopes of pre-World Cup deal for Yan Diomande begin to fade as delay is explained
“I don’t think Liverpool would pay £100m for Adam Wharton. He does make sense at a certain number, and maybe not at another number, and I think £100m is a number that he wouldn’t make sense to Liverpool for, particularly with everything they’ve got to do this summer. I don’t think they would go near him and I don’t think he will move for that amount. I think it will be much lower if he does move.
“Liverpool have done a lot of leg work on Wharton,” the journalist added. “It’s kind of up to them if they pull the trigger or not. But he is someone who is a real candidate, it’s just one of those whether the manager change has just completely shifted things on that.”
How much is reasonable for Wharton?
Though Lynch is adamant that Wharton will not cost at or above £100m, he does not go as far as speculating to what kind of price the midfielder would be.
It has previously been claimed that Wharton could cost around £80m and perhaps this would be more palatable to Liverpool.
You can only pick ONE player for Liverpool to sign this summer, who is it?
Who should Richard Hughes be targeting above all…
But in a summer where they could spend a similar amount on Yan Diomande, it still feels somewhat unlikely that the Reds would want to go even that high.
As a result, something more in the £60m-70m range feels like the limit for Liverpool, and if they decide to come in for him, then it’s fair to say they think it’s possible to secure him for that kind of fee.
Whether Palace would agree or not remains to be seen. The Eagles drive a pretty hard bargain, as Liverpool learned last summer, and if they are pushing for a number the Reds don’t want to reach, then this just won’t happen.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
