Bayern Munich swoop for Tottenham English target to join Harry Kane in £60m swoop
Bayern Munich will raid the Premier League again this summer in an attempt to bring Adam Wharton to the Allianz Arena, it has been claimed.
Wharton, 20, has made an instant impact at Crystal Palace since joining for £18million from Blackburn Rovers in January. He has started 15 straight games for the Eagles, registering three assists including one in the victory over Wolves on Saturday.
Bayern’s managerial situation remains up in the air, but their desire for a new central midfielder is no secret. They came close to landing Joao Palhinha from Fulham last summer, but Wharton provides a younger alternative.
After the success of Harry Kane and Eric Dier in Bavaria, the Bundesliga side could find themselves turning to the Premier League once more. Wharton signed a deal with Palace until 2029 when he joined in the winter, though, so would not come cheap.
According to The Sun, £60m would be the magic number. Bayern are also said to be keeping tabs on Everton star Amadou Onana, who is valued at a reported £50m.
“Second half was an excellent performance,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner said of Wharton after the recent 4-0 win against Manchester United. “It shows his mentality and character that a 20-year-old guy talks to JP Mateta, but also on the other side that JP is listening to him. This is the environment that I really like as a manager.”
The midfielder cooled suggestions he might have played himself into Euro 2024 contention with England, though. “It’s obviously great to be mentioned within that. If it happens, it happens. It would be great. But at the same time, I’m not expecting anything. I’m just enjoying my football at Palace,” he said.
Bayern, who lost in dramatic fashion to Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final, take on Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Victory would take them back above Stuttgart – who won on Friday – and back into second place with one week remaining.
The game will represent a final home fixture for Tuchel, who is set to leave at the end of the season. When asked by reporters if it would be an emotional time for him, he said “I don’t know”, while insisting the team’s focus was on the task at hand.
“I’m in favour of pushing,” he said. “We don’t want to let ourselves drift in the next few days and want to keep our emotions high. I’ve had a lot of requests for tickets from family and friends. I’m blocking it out and concentrating on the sport and what I can influence.”