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Chelsea<\/a> are keen on signing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this summer, according to CaughtOffside<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Wharton first came to the limelight while on the books of Championship side Blackburn Rovers, where he came through the ranks.<\/p>\n He featured 51 times for the Riversiders, where his performances caught the eye before Palace won the race to sign him in January 2024.<\/p>\n Interestingly, his second debut for the club was against Chelsea, and despite the Eagles losing 3-0, he put in an assured performance and was one of Roy Hodgson\u2019s best players.<\/p>\n He has established himself as one of the Premier League<\/a>\u2019s best midfielders over the last two seasons while also playing a key role in Palace\u2019s surge under former boss Oliver Glasner.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old started the FA Cup<\/a>, Community Shield, and, most notably, the Conference League finals, proving his ability to perform on the big stage as the Eagles clinched all three trophies.<\/p>\n As such, Wharton has been a key target for some of the biggest Premier League clubs, with CaughtOffside reporting that Tottenham<\/a> Hotspur, Liverpool<\/a> and Manchester United<\/a> have previously shown interest, though their interest has since cooled.<\/p>\n However, it appears Chelsea are showing the strongest interest, as the report adds that the London giants are \u2018engaged\u2019 in talks with the 22-year-old\u2019s camp over his potential transfer<\/a> to Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n CaughtOffside<\/em> clarifies that Tottenham dropped their interest after investing \u00a3185m to bolster their midfield, while internal changes at Liverpool led to a change of plans despite their initial desire to offer over \u00a370m.<\/p>\n However, despite Chelsea\u2019s interest, a deal won\u2019t be easy due to Palace\u2019s valuation, with the report adding that the South London club are expected to demand a fee in tandem with the \u00a3116m Manchester City<\/a> paid Nottingham Forest to sign Elliot Anderson.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the summer transfer window, defence appeared to be the most critical part of Chelsea\u2019s squad in need of reinforcement.<\/p>\n At the time of writing, midfield has now emerged as an equally vital area to reinforce this summer, as their options are being thinned.<\/p>\n Andres Santos has completed a move to Manchester United, while Enzo Fernandez\u2019s future remains uncertain despite Xabi Alonso revealing in his press conference that he would love to work with him.<\/p>\n Should the Argentine depart, Wharton would be a good addition, as he offers exceptional passing, defensive reliability, and, most importantly, consistent availability amid incessant injuries to Romeo Lavia.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChelsea keen on Wharton<\/h2>\n
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