Real Madrid linked with shock move for Crystal Palace ace | OneFootball

Real Madrid are showing interest in signing rapidly developing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, according to reports.

Wharton enjoyed a whirlwind 2024, starting the last calendar year by joining Palace in a £22m move from Blackburn Rovers having made just 51 senior appearances for the Championship club. Within four months, the then uncapped 21-year-old was called into England's preliminary Euro 2024 squad and made the final cut to go to the tournament.

Surgery on a hernia injury has disrupted Wharton's second season with Palace, but he made his first start since October in last week's 4-1 demolition of Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa.

The Daily Mail writes that Real Madrid had a scouting presence at the game to monitor Wharton and will continue to keep an eye on him in the coming months. Juni Calafat, the club's revered chief scout and a central figure in Jude Bellingham's 2023 recruitment, is described as a "confirmed admirer" of the Palace player.

Manchester City's more urgent need for a midfielder saw them alternatively pursue Nico Gonzalez in January while Wharton was still working his way back from injury, while Manchester United and Liverpool have more pressing needs in other areas of the pitch. It could give Madrid a clear run at Wharton, as long as they are prepared to at least get close to a reported £70m valuation.

Wharton could be destined for bigger things / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

A more established alternative for Madrid, who have a clear tactic to wait for targets to become free agents, could be Joshua Kimmich. Links with the Bayern Munich midfielder were established before last week's shock revelation that a contract offer at the Allianz Arena has been withdrawn.

Madrid were successful in landing Kylian Mbappe without a transfer fee, and hope to be with Trent Alexander-Arnold. But the tactic didn't work with high profile targets Leny Yoro or Alphonso Davies. It also doesn't necessarily make a transfer much cheaper because the player can command a huge signing bonus in the absence of a transfer fee, but it does eliminate painful negotiations with a selling club.

Wharton isn't the only young English talent that Madrid are linked with. Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite is another potential target, having already worked under Carlo Ancelotti.

Steve McManaman, David Beckham, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Owen and the aforementioned Bellingham are the Englishmen to have played for the Spanish club so far in the 21st century.