Crystal Palace plot move for Adam Wharton replacement, new deal to be ‘agreed’ soon
Crystal Palace are interested in signing a rising star who has been linked with potential moves to giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Crystal Palace struggled to get deals done in the summer window as Oliver Glasner became increasingly frustrated at their failures in terms of incomings and outgoings.
Glasner insisted in July that he had been “promised more” by Steve Parish and his board of directors, and things did not get better as Eberechi Eze was sold to Arsenal for £60million in August.
Palace did manage to keep hold of Marc Guehi despite interest from Liverpool, as well as highly-rated midfielder Adam Wharton, and they eventually got a number of deals done late in the window to set themselves up well for the new season.
Football Insider recently revealed that Palace are expecting to field offers for Wharton in January, and if he does make a move away soon, they look to have identified an ideal replacement who is wanted by some of the world’s top clubs.
Palace are interested in signing Kees Smit with Wharton’s future uncertain
According to a new report from BBC Sport, Palace are understood to hold an interest in AZ Alkmaar’s 19-year-old midfielder Kees Smit.
The same report states that the Eagles want to hand Wharton a new deal soon to potentially insert a release clause of over £75m into his terms and cover their backs ahead of a likely exit in the next 12 months.
Smit has made 43 appearances for Alkmaar since his debut for the club in March 2024, and he was named as the Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Under-19 European Championships after helping the Netherlands to glory in Romania.
What Smit has said about leaving Alkmaar and interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona
The 19-year-old is currently a regular in Alkmaar’s first-team, with one goal and two assists from six Eredivisie games so far in 2025-26.
According to a September report from The Athletic, Smit was a target for Real Madrid during the recent transfer window, alongside Wharton, while Spanish outlet AS have previously stated that Barcelona also have him on their radar.
Smit played down their interest in response to rumours around his future in an interview with HLN, saying: “The interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid is positive, but if I go there, I don’t know how many times I will play. I enjoyed watching it and reading about it.
| Appearances | 6 |
| Minutes played | 512′ |
| Goals and Assists | 3 |
| Shot-Creating Actions per 90 | 5.85 |
| Progressive Passes per 90 | 6.38 |
| Progressive Carries per 90 | 1.95 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 2.83 |
“These are very good things, without a doubt. Perhaps the two biggest clubs in the world are interested in me. Nothing is concrete yet. There’s just interest.”
His potential reluctance to join a club of their respective sizes where he may not play as often as he wants to could open the door for Palace to convince him to take the next step in his career at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles will want to keep hold of Wharton for as long as possible right now, though, and it seems unlikely that they make a move for Smit while the England man is still in their team.