Liverpool have their very own version of Adam Wharton

Adam Wharton has been one of Liverpool's top targets for as long as anyone can remember.

The Englishman has been at the top of their shortlist ever since he proved that he could compete in the Premier League.

And, since the Reds are still in desperate need of homegrown players, he ticks one of their main boxes.

Obviously, the fact that he's one of the Premier League's best number sixes is also a massive bonus.

In the past, Crystal Palace have been quite hard for clubs to negotiate with which was proven by Steve Parish asking for around £80 million to allow Ismaila Sarr to leave.

So, this has caused many other players to emerge as potential options for Liverpool to explore but, somewhat surprisingly, they may have already stumbled across their own version of him.

Robbie Fowler says Lewis Koumas used to be a controlling midfielder when he was younger

Lewis Koumas has been one of Liverpool's break out stars this season.

The 21-year-old spent the entirety of last term on loan to the Championship with Birmingham City and Hull City both having a stint with him as a part of their squad.

And, while most people didn't think that much of him, Andoni Iraola clearly saw something special in him as, he's already played eight games for the Reds this term.

However, before he became a forward, there was a time when the Welshman was a central midfielder.

In fact, he's even played there a few times throughout his career.

And, the fact that Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has now confirmed that Koumas was a "controlling" central midfielder when he was younger could mean that the Reds have their own version on Wharton ready and waiting.

"I don't know if a lot of people know this but he didn't start off as a forwards," he said on the We'll Have A Look Podcast.

"He played with my lad actually, he played for Wirral Schoolboys but he was a centre-midfielder who controlled the game and he was brilliant.

"In fact, I remember saying to Alex Inglethorpe, who's the head of the academy, 'can you just have a look at this kid.'"

Liverpool would have to run things back a few years to turn Lewis Koumas into a central midfielder

Obviously, now that Koumas has played as an attacker for so long, it's unlikely that he'd drop back to being a central midfielder.

However, much like Harvey Elliott, if things get too competitive up front for him, it's nice to know that he has the potential to drop back into the middle of the park if needed.

But, with how quickly things move in the Premier League, it would take a lot of adjustment for the 21-year-old to be able to compete in that area.

Of course, the fact that he never stops running or pressing certainly plays in his favour but, in the grand scheme of things, he's much more likely to stay up front.

That is, especially with the sheer number of central midfielder that seem to be getting linked with Liverpool recently.

There's no knowing what the future has in store for anyone but, for now, the fact that the Reds could end up having their very own version of Wharton among their ranks is rather exciting.