Crystal Palace preparing to sign Brighton target who scored 16 goals in 25/26 season

Crystal Palace and Brighton could go head-to-head in the race to sign the ‘master’ midfielder, who has had a hugely impressive season.

Palace eye midfielder as Wharton looks to cement his place in England squad

Adam Wharton will be hoping to earn three more England caps during the current international break, with the midfielder added to his 35-man squad by manager Thomas Tuchel.

But the central midfielder is well aware that there is work left to do to force Tuchel’s plans into action, saying recently: “I think it’s every boy’s dream to represent his country in the World Cup.

“I’ll try to make as good an impression as I can until the players get on the plane, I’ll try to play as well as I can and hopefully I’ll be one of them. I think there’s still a few games left before then so things can happen, but I hope I can do well enough and show that I deserve a plane ticket.”

Wharton, who was included in the initial squad for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, is certainly under consideration, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool also targeting him because of his performances at Palace.

Sky Sports has revealed that the Eagles need to sign one of their star players this summer, with the Englishman potentially on the move and his current employers now looking at potential replacements.

Palace enter race to sign ‘master’ midfielder

According to a report from Sports Boom, Crystal Palace have entered the race to sign AZ Alkmaar midfielder Sven Meinans, putting Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur under threat.

Palace have sent scouts to keep an eye on Minance this season, and a deal could be completed for a relatively modest €30m (about £26m).

Interestingly, the report states that both the Eagles and Spurs are already gearing up to sign the Dutchman in a bid to snatch a march from rival suitors, and with him already scoring a whopping 16 goals in all competitions this season, it could be an exciting signing.

During that time, the 26-year-old showed his versatility by featuring in both attacking and defensive midfield roles, and also captained AZ Alkmaar for much of the campaign.

The maestro has also received praise in the past from former Alkmaar manager Pascal Janssen, who said: “He is a master of simplicity. He is a master of making the logical and most rhythmic choices.”

For a club like Palace, a fee of £26 million would not be a huge amount of money, especially considering Wharton could be paid £70 million, and it would be exciting if a transfer were to begin this summer, at which point Steve Parish and co would also need to hire a new manager.