Chelsea and Liverpool are two of the biggest teams in the Premier League. Apart from competing with each other on the field, the two clubs have also often found themselves on opposite sides off the field, as they have competed for the same players in recent times when it comes to the transfer market.
The most significant one was the race for Moises Caicedo in 2023, as both clubs were trying hard to win the race for the signature of the player, who eventually joined Chelsea despite a £100 million-plus bid from Liverpool back then. The Ecuadorian has since established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and one of the key players for the Blues.
Liverpool later got one over on Chelsea when Rio Ngumoha was signed by the Reds in 2024. Anyway, these transfer battles between the two clubs aren’t expected to stop anytime soon, with both English giants always looking to bring in the best players to strengthen their squads.
In fact, it looks like Liverpool might have already set up another future showdown, as they have shown interest in signing one of Chelsea’s targets for next year.
Liverpool holding talks to sign £70m Chelsea target
According to DAVEOCKOP, Liverpool are holding initial talks to discuss signing Adam Wharton in 2026. A move for likely for the summer of 2026 rather than in the January window.
Wharton has impressed with his performances for Crystal Palace and has emerged as one of the most sought-after talents in the Premier League. Clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United are also said to be interested in the player, in addition to Chelsea and Liverpool.
Some fans might argue that Chelsea already have quality options in Caicedo and Romeo Lavia for the defensive midfielder role, which is true. However, with the Belgian suffering from injuries since arriving in 2023, the club could benefit from bringing in a talented player like Wharton to reduce the workload on Caicedo and also to promote competition in the squad.
Wharton has appeared in 15 matches this season for Crystal Palace across all competitions. At just 21 years of age, he is already showing promise to develop into one of the best in the future.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea can beat the rest of the competing clubs to secure this promising youngster next year. It will be tough.