Newcastle United have deployed club officials to watch Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to journalist Craig Hope.
What's the latest on Wharton to Newcastle?
The Championship starlet is an academy graduate at Ewood Park having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to Jon Dahl Tomasson's first-team last summer, where he's since gone on to make 22 senior appearances during his debut season.
Back in April, Alan Nixon, football reporter, revealed that the Magpies, alongside their top-flight rivals Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, were all interested in completing a deal for the 18-year-old, but reaching an agreement would be far from easy.
The Rovers gem, who currently pockets £962-per-week, still has four years remaining on his contract, but the journalist, as per the same source, claimed that it is unclear whether he would still be at his boyhood club beyond the summer considering the calibre of high-profile clubs circling.
Taking to Twitter, Hope confirmed that Newcastle have now taken their admiration one step further, with the club's sporting director and fellow members of the hierarchy hitting the road to take a closer look at Wharton, as well as another new target for Eddie Howe. He wrote:
"Newcastle send scouts to watch Blackburn (Dan Ashworth & Mick Tait lately) with 18-yr-old midfielder Adam Wharton of key interest. I’m told B’burn want to keep him but list of admirers growing. NUFC also monitoring progress of centre-back Hayden Carter, 23."
Where would Wharton fit in at Newcastle?
Football Insider have reported that Newcastle have placed seven squad members onto a transfer list that they are happy to move on this summer, one of those being Matty Longstaff, so should he depart, Wharton would be his ideal long-term successor.
The Rovers teen is strong in the defensive aspect of his game having won 21 tackles from 32 players challenged so far this season but is also a threat in the final third, having posted seven goal contributions across all competitions since the start of the term. He also averages 3.24 shot-creating actions per second-tier game which is higher than any other player at Blackburn, via FBRef.
Finally, Wharton, who has been hailed an "outstanding talent" by journalist Josh Bunting, would add wonderful versatility to the northeast outfit having operated in five various positions since bursting onto the scene, so he is an extremely exciting prospect for the future and one that would only excel further under the guidance of Howe at St. James' Park.