I just saw ideal Liverpool transfer in 2025 who could transform Arne Slot's midfield

Ryan Gravenberch was once again one of the stand-out players for Liverpool against Crystal Palace but you can never have too many good midfielders. There is a legitimate question about the long-term future of Wataru Endo , too, though he came on near the end of the match at Selhurst Park.

Having gone after Martin Zubimendi last summer, it makes sense that adding more quality and depth in the midfield department should remain high on the to-do list for Liverpool . Even if the type of player required might have changed, the need for one more option is still there.

It might make more sense to go for a versatile option who can play in each of the midfield roles next year rather than a specialist number six, given how well Gravenberch has done. But having someone else as an Endo upgrade, who would still get minutes because of their ability to play multiple roles , would be perfect.

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While it was hardly a game that screamed quality, Liverpool might just have played against one ideal option. In Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace has Bayern Munich .

And even though his side struggled to perform and looks a long way off the level that Oliver Glasner got the Eagles to at the end of last season, Wharton's technical level was clear. Alongside Eberechi Eze, he is a long way above his teammates and is likely to be the next player to earn a move elsewhere after Michael Olise's departure to Bayern Munich .

Inside the first minute of the game, Wharton had played a perfect pass into the path of Ismaila Sarr when Eddie Nketiah put the ball in the net only to be pulled back for running offside. That was only a minute in.

On a few occasions, he spun away — almost like Gravenberch does — when he was under pressure from a crowd of Liverpool players and it was Wharton who initiated the press and led the team forward in the second half when it was chasing the match. Crystal Palace's number 20 was the man who tried to take the initiative.

Last January, Crystal Palace splashed out $29m (£22m/€26m) to sign Wharton from Blackburn Rovers. It would take a fee of at least three times that amount to convince the South London side to cash in during 2025. Not turning 21 until February, though, he is a special talent who would flourish even more with better players around him.

Liverpool should remain on the lookout for another player like him, either in January or more likely in the summer. Wharton would not come without competition from plenty of other teams, with Manchester City one known admirer and potentially on the hunt for a Rodri replacement in the winter market, but he would be an ideal addition to further bolster Arne Slot's midfield.