Liverpool were ready to make £70m bid for Premier League sensation

Liverpool were expected to be one of the Premier League's busiest teams this summer.

Arne Slot led his men to a fifth place finish last term and, while he may have got them qualified for the Champions League, after winning the title just the season before, it feels like a massive fall from grace.

The Reds started the summer transfer window off fairly quickly after they got a deal for Victor Munoz over the line.

However, after adding the Spaniard to their ranks, no more concrete moves have been made which is rather worrying.

Indeed, many different links with players have emerged but, it still doesn't feel like any deals are even close to fruition.

This is obviously a tad worrying as, without new players being brought in, there's no way that Liverpool are going to be able to compete with their title rivals any time soon.

Despite all this, it's clear that the club do have money to spend because, if they didn't, they wouldn't have been able to prepare themselves to make a £70 million bid for a Premier League star.

Richard Hughes was ready to splash £70 million on Adam Wharton

Adam Wharton is a player who's been on the Reds' shortlist for as long as anyone can remember.

The Englishman was one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders during the 2025-26 season with several of the biggest clubs from across the world interested in acquiring his services.

However, these performances clearly weren't enough for Thomas Tuchel to take him to the 2026 World Cup which, on the face of things, is rather shocking.

Despite this, the Reds had clearly seen enough from him during the season as, according to a fresh report from Caught Offside, Liverpool were readying themselves to make a £70 million bid for the 22-year-old.

"Tottenham were among the strongest admirers, but after committing £185m to Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, Spurs have stepped away from the race. Their withdrawal removes one of the key contenders from the market," they wrote.

"Sources have informed CaughtOffside that Liverpool have also cooled their interest. The Reds were ready to push past £70m in mid‑June, yet internal changes in recruitment strategy led to the move being paused.

"As Liverpool’s pursuit faded, Crystal Palace grew increasingly confident about keeping Wharton."

Liverpool need to figure out if they want to sign a new defensive midfielder or not

Even though every Liverpool fan knows that Andoni Iraola needs a new defensive midfielder, it doesn't feel like he's going to get one.

Wharton and Yan Diomande were probably the two players that Liverpool fans expected their team to sign this summer.

However, with a deal for Diomande off the table and a move for Wharton slowly fading, it already seems like the Anfield outfit are going to have to go for their back-up options.

But, as the Reds have shown in the past with players such as Moises Caicedo and Martin Zubimendi, if they don't get their first choice, they'll just go without.

This went well under Jurgen Klopp as he instilled a belief in his team that everyone got on board with, however, for Iraola, this might not be an option, especially during his first campaign in charge.

So, the more of his own targets he brings in, the easier things should be able to transition in L4.

Although, if Fenway Sports Group don't back him, things could go horribly wrong in an instant.