Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said he would not be surprised if Manchester United stepped up their efforts to sign Adam Wharton.
Wharton has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since his move from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024.
The Englishman played a vital role as the Eagles won the FA Cup last season, and has started all 10 Palace games he has been available for this campaign.
Such performances have seen Wharton attract interest from a host of top clubs, with United, Liverpool and Real Madrid among the clubs plotting a move.
With Wharton under contract until 2029, Palace could demand a sizeable fee to let go of their prized asset.
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And while confident that Wharton is still happy at Palace, co-owner Parish suspects the 21-year-old will have ambitions to play in the Champions League in the not-so-distant future.
‘I think Adam at some point will want to play either in the Champions League with us, if we can make that happen, or probably with another club,’ he told talkSPORT.
‘He’s an extraordinary talent. I think right now, and I can’t speak for Adam, but I think he’s focused on his time at Crystal Palace.
‘He had a broken season last season with the groin issues that he had that a lot of young players get.
‘I think this season he’s completely focused on putting the games in, getting in the England squad, being a regular for us, and making sure that he can show that Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. It’s a difficult programme for us right now.
‘I think he’s very committed to the club. I don’t know where all this stuff comes from.’
Asked about recent reports linking United with a £60million move for Wharton, Parish added: ‘If Manchester United want Adam Wharton, that’s nothing surprising really about that.
‘The fact of the matter is he’s got a long contract to run. There’s no pressure on us to do it, and I don’t think there’s any real pressure from the player either.’
There has also been speculation over the future of manager Oliver Glasner whose contract runs out at the end of the season.
The Austrian has been a revelation since arriving at Selhurst Park, and Parish said that talks had begun to extend his stay at the club.
‘Yeah, we’ve had some early conversations, Parish added. ‘I mean we would love to keep Oliver, we’re building something. I think for Oliver it’s about the conditions being right.
‘It’s about everything being in a way that he enjoys his work and he finds the conditions favourable to achieve.
‘Oliver wants to win things. He makes no secret of that. That’s what he’s in football for. He’s in football for those days where we give all that pleasure to the fans and we do as well. So if we can align those interests, then hopefully we can make something happen.’
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