Man City 'want England ace in January transfer window, exit expected soon'

Man City are targeting a January move for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, The Daily Mail have reported.

The Premier League champions had apparently been planning to wait until next summer to move for a new central-midfielder.

Their dismal run of form, combined with the season-ending ACL injury suffered by Rodri – whose long-term future is also being speculated on – now means that they are planning to move that pursuit forward to the end of the year.

Wharton excelled in the second half of last season after joining Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers. His form earned him a senior England debut and place in the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 squad over the summer.

However, he picked up a hamstring injury while on international duty that has limited his impact for Oliver Glasner’s side this season.

Palace accept Wharton is likely to leave at some point within the next four transfer windows if his career continues to progress in the rapid way it has already, but it is unclear whether they would sanction a sale in the New Year.

Man City are apparently also considering Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi – who was pursued by Liverpool in the summer – as a potential addition to boost their options in the centre of the park.

Adam Wharton would be an excellent signing for Man City

Football Insider Opinion

The signing of Adam Wharton could be an outstanding one for Pep Guardiola’s side to make.

Throughout his career so far the midfielder has only seemed to get better the higher the level he has played at.

He could therefore thrive immensely at Man City, given the calibre of player who would be linking up with.

At 20-years-old, he is also someone who could fill that void for a long time to come yet, especially with doubts around long-time star Kevin de Bruyne’s future as well.

Wharton also looks well on the way to becoming a complete midfielder, both posing a threat with the quality of his forward passing, and being a useful defensive option as his off the ball work improves.

With so long left in his career, there is also plenty of time for those skills to develop even further, all of which could make him a major asset at The Etihad Stadium.

It will be no surprise to see interest in him emerge from elsewhere soon as well, meaning it could be important for Man City to try and get this transfer done come January.

But with Palace languishing towards the bottom of the table they may be intent on holding out until at least the summer before letting one of their prized assets leave.

In other news, Man City fans are not happy with the latest Kyle Walker revelations.

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