Since Jose Mourinho reassumed his position as coach of the LaLiga giants, he's wasted no time in ensuring that the club accede to his transfer wishes.
All of Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande have already been secured, though evidently that's not enough for the Special One, who clearly feels that the all Whites are lacking something in central midfield.
Fight for Wharton?
Wharton has long been the subject of transfer speculation, with both Manchester clubs and Chelsea having been rumoured to be admirers of his talents.
It isn't clear if any of the three Premier League clubs remain interested in trying to persuade the Eagles' hierarchy to part with the 22-year-old, which would, at least for the moment, leave the way clear for Real to make their move.
In a team that lost Michael Olise, followed by Eberechi Eze and subsequently Marc Guehi, not to mention Maxence Lacroix's recent switch to Chelsea, were they to see Wharton moved on too, it would pose question marks over the ownership once more - particularly ahead of a season in which Palace have a Europa League campaign to contend with on top of domestic honours.
Super showing in 25/26
Wharton has been key to Palace's recent successes, and during the 2025/26 campaign, he posted some excellent numbers, which highlighted the level of his performance.
For example, his 242 ball recoveries were only surpassed by Tyrick Mitchell, whilst 408 one-on-one duels attempted (48.28% success) were the sixth-best output in the Palace squad.
From a defensive standpoint, he was one of only three Eagles players to attempt at least 100 tackles across the season, and with 57 of those being successful, his 57% showing and 40 interceptions again kept him in with the top performers for these metrics.
None of his teammates came close to matching his 135 separate instances of winning possession back in the middle third of the pitch, and it's this tigerish nature that would serve Real Madrid well, as it would allow Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde et al license to maraud forward at every opportunity.
Palace's fulcrum
If there's one thing that Los Blancos haven't really had for the past couple of seasons, it's an enforcer-type midfielder stationed in front of the back four, who can be relied upon not only for the defensive aspects of the game, but to supplement the attack when possible.
His 720 passes into the final third were almost 200 more than any other Palace player last season, as were his seven assists across all competitions, whilst 2,015 passes overall saw him become one of only three to attempt at least 2,000 passes during the season (Lacroix and Chris Richards being the others).
A 78.86% pass completion is therefore commendable and only serves to enhance his offering.
Although adding to the goals for tally, or getting into the opposition box, has never really been his forte, Wharton still managed to complete 19 dribbles in 25/26, behind only Yeremy Pino (29) and Ismaila Sarr (32).
Sage can't afford to lose another big star
Clearly, there are still some rough edges to his game, but at only 22 years of age, the Blackburn-born player has plenty of time to be coached into the finished article.
For Palace, they are enjoying the most successful period in the club's entire existence, and their worry must be that Wharton finally has his head turned by a 'bigger' club.
Realistically, there's only so much a club of Palace's size can take before everything comes crashing down, and whilst one player doesn't make a team, Wharton is a particularly important one.
With Oliver Glasner having left the club because of the sales of their best players, losing Wharton on the eve of the new season might well have Pierre Sage thinking that he's already got one hand tied behind his back before he starts his tenure in earnest.