Crystal Palace have set their sights on an “excellent” midfielder, amid a fresh update on Adam Wharton’s future at Selhurst Park.
Wharton vying to make England’s World Cup squad
Wharton collected his fourth England cap last week, featuring as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay, and the 22-year-old put in a solid, if not spectacular, performance, winning four of the five duels he contested and making three interceptions.
The Palace star will be hoping to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but the England boss has plenty of options to choose from in the middle of the park, with Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson forming a partnership at the base of midfield.
In fact, Tony Cascarino has suggested the former Blackburn Rovers man doesn’t stand much chance of featuring against Croatia on June 17th, saying: “I don’t think Adam will play. I don’t think he’s in the starting line-up. I think he’ll do well to make the squad.
“He’d done alright when he came on the other night, I thought he came on and he handled it really well. But I’m not too sure how close he is to the full squad.”
Even though Wharton is yet to establish himself as one of Tuchel’s most important players, his performances at club level have attracted plenty of attention, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Manchester United in the race for his signature.
Palace keen on “excellent” midfielder with Wharton’s future in doubt
According to a report from Sports Boom, Wharton is now set to leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season, which means they will need to bring in a replacement, and they are eyeing a move for Toulouse star Cristian Casseres Jr.
The Venezuelan is expected to be available for the modest sum of just £15m this summer, at which point he will only have one year remaining on his contract, with Brighton and Lyon also keen.
Casseres Jr has been identified as a major target for the Eagles, off the back of putting in some impressive performances in Ligue 1 this season, averaging 2.9 tackles per 90, which is more than any Palace player has managed in the Premier League, barring Daichi Kamada.
Crystal Palace’s top tacklers
Average per 90
Daichi Kamada
3.0
Tyrick Mitchell
2.7
Daniel Munoz
2.6
Adam Wharton
2.5
Evann Guessand
2.4
Justin Devenny
2.4
The 46-cap Venezuela international has also averaged 41.6 accurate passes per 90 in Ligue 1, with Wharton averaging just 34.1 in the Premier League, while 6.9 recoveries per 90 is the highest number of any Toulouse player.
Of course, Crystal Palace will be hoping to keep hold of Wharton, and they remain in a strong negotiating position, with the Englishman under contract until 2029, but Casseres Jr, who has been lauded as “excellent” by journalist Luis Omar Torrealba, could be an exciting replacement.
Related
Scouts sent: Crystal Palace now readying official approach to sign 13-goal Mateta replacement
Mateta’s future is still in doubt.