Man City’s attempt to sign Adam Wharton has revealed plenty about Liverpool’s midfield plans

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Liverpool’s decision to accept Inter Milan’s attempts to sign Curtis Jones have led to concern from supporters about the depth in their midfield ranks.Though Jones was not an especially regular starter during his seven seasons in the senior team, the Scouser was still an important member of the squad, racking up 49 appearances last term.That is going to have to be replaced somehow, but with Liverpool showing no signs of doing anything at all in the transfer market, young Trey Nyoni looks set to be the player tasked with stepping into Jones’ boots. The Reds could well be betting the house on the 22-year-old next year, while handing the reins to Nyoni for the time being.READ MORE: How Liverpool’s squad to start the 2026/27 Premier League season compares with last year is startlingLiverpool will surely be back for Wharton in 2027Liverpool fans have been truly baffled by the lack of potential midfield targets during a summer in which the middle of the pitch has been a real focus.Jones is going, while there have been strong suggestions for months that Alexis Mac Allister could also go.

The Argentine now looks fairly certain to stay, but it is seemingly an open secret that Liverpool would have been open to his departure had an offer arrived.That would have left them two midfielders down, along with a possible exit for Stefan Bajcetic, with absolutely no targets with whom to replace them with; bar Wharton.The former Blackburn midfielder is clearly very, very high in Liverpool’s thinking, and if they realised they could not get him this summer, why move for anybody else?Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty ImagesThe Reds have shown time and again that they will wait for their preferred targets, at times at the detriment of the team. The best example of this came in 2020, when Liverpool ignored a developing centre-back crisis to wait until the following summer for the signing of Ibrahima Konate.Things in midfield are not as bad as they were at the back six years ago, but it is fair to say that waiting for Wharton could be an almighty mistake from Liverpool.Will Man City be back for Wharton?Part of the problem in Liverpool simply parking Nyoni in Jones’ spot for a year and waiting for Wharton is that the Palace man clearly has other suitors.Nevertheless, if City are currently seen as the main contender, then perhaps that should be serving as encouragement for the Reds.The Sky Blues will surely sign Ayyoub Bouaddi in the coming days, and having already splashed more than £100m on Elliot Anderson, that looks like being their post-Rodri plan.

Liverpool will have their list of back-ups if they cannot get Wharton, but there is a reason why none of them have surfaced across the summer so far.The Reds clearly know the player they want, and are prepared to wait for him. We can forget this one – and most likely any midfield signing – this summer, but keep an eye on Wharton for the season ahead, because he could well end up at Liverpool in a year’s time.