Premier League champions Manchester City have reportedly identified Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton as a long-term transfer target.
The 20-year-old has quickly established himself as a first-team star for the Eagles since joining the club from Championship side Blackburn Rovers for a reported £22.5m in January.
After coming through the youth ranks at Blackburn, Wharton spent just 18 months in the first team, making his professional debut in August 2022, before moving to the Premier League with Palace, where he started 15 of the club's final 16 games in the top flight last season, registering three assists.
Operating as a deep-lying playmaker, Wharton has already made a notable impression for Palace; he was named man-of-the-match in a memorable 1-0 win at Liverpool in April and was part of the Eagles side that secured a 10th-placed finish after winning six of their last seven league games.
Wharton's impressive club form has since been rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's final 26-man England squad for Euro 2024, and he was handed his first senior cap in a 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday.
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Man City eyeing up rising star Wharton
Wharton's rapid rise is understood to have also caught the eye of top European clubs including Bayern Munich, who are allegedly pondering a move for the £60m-rated youngster this summer.
The Bundesliga giants, now managed by Vincent Kompany, are known to be in the market for a new midfielder after failing in their quest to sign Fulham's Joao Palhinha last year.
Bayern are not the only club keeping tabs on Wharton, though, as the Evening Standard reports that Man City are weighing up a future move for the midfielder.
The report adds that Pep Guardiola's side are not expected to move for Wharton this summer, but as they have a midfield succession plan in mind at the Etihad Stadium, they regard the youngster as a potential signing for the future.
Palace are under no immediate pressure to part ways with Wharton, who is under contract at Selhurst Park until the summer of 2029.
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Midfield revamp expected at Man City
It is widely expected that there will be changes within Man City's midfield ranks in the near future, considering the uncertainty over the futures of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips.
De Bruyne will soon be entering the final year of his contract at the Etihad and recently refused to rule out a possible big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
Bernardo, meanwhile, has been continuously linked with an exit from the Citizens ever since he publicly expressed his desire to seek pastures new in January last year - former club Benfica, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with the playmaker.
As for Phillips, he is deemed surplus to requirements at Man City and failed to make an impression during his disappointing loan spell with West Ham United during the second half of last season.
The 28-year-old, who is of a similar profile to Wharton, is expected to leave this summer either on loan or on a permanent basis.
As well as Wharton, Man City have been linked with a number of other midfielders including Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes, West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta and Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze.
Oliver Thomas
