Crystal Palace agree £18m fee for Blackburn’s Wharton

92

Crystal Palace and Blackburn Rovers have reached an initial agreement on an £18 million fee for the transfer of midfielder Adam Wharton.

According to reports, the 19-year-old midfielder is set to travel to London on Tuesday, with the potential transfer fee reaching £22 million.

Wharton, a product of Blackburn’s academy, has accumulated 51 appearances for the club.

Despite having an £18.5 million bid rejected last week for the England Under-20 player, Crystal Palace has successfully negotiated a deal with the Championship club.

Wharton, whose older brother Scott is also part of Blackburn, has played 26 times this season, scoring two goals.

He was named as an unused substitute in Blackburn’s FA Cup fourth-round victory against Wrexham on Monday.

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire after the match, Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson said: “There was a bid [a couple of days ago] which the club said no to, which I think was a good choice.

“We all know Adam is a great player. [He is] a joy to develop, a joy to work with daily. We know there are a lot of rumours and when you have a good player, which Adam is and maybe an England player one time, there is a chance he could go away.

“That’s football. That’s life. One thing we can say about Adam is that we’re proud of him if he plays here or if he plays for another club.

“Everybody has ambitions of course. Adam enjoys playing the football I like, as well. If a player should get an opportunity to play Premier League football then of course it is a difficult choice.”