Crystal Palace transfer news: Adam Wharton joins club from Blackburn Rovers for £18m
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Wharton had been with Blackburn Rovers since the age of six before joining Palace
Crystal Palace have signed Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton for an initial fee of £18m, potentially rising to £22m.
The 19-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Palace, who are 14th in the Premier League.
Wharton made 26 appearances for Rovers this season, scoring two goals.
Palace had an £18.5m bid rejected last week for the England Under-20s player, but a deal has now been agreed with the Championship club.
"I've always wanted to play in the Premier League and to play for such a big club like Crystal Palace is a great honour," said Wharton, who made 51 appearances for Blackburn.
"The way they've brought players from the Championship and developed them into world-class players in the Premier League is something that stood out to me, and it's a big reason why I wanted to come here."
He added: "I've been there [Blackburn] all my life, since I was six, so it was a difficult decision, but I'm delighted to be here and I can't wait to start."
Palace chairman Steve Parish said Wharton was "a player whose rapid development we have followed closely".
He added: "Adam's consistently impressive performances for Blackburn at such a young age have understandably caught the eye of many a club, but we believe Palace to be - as has so often been the case in recent years - the perfect place to harness his undoubted potential, and we look forward to working with him in the years ahead to do so."
Roy Hodgson's side have also signed defender Daniel Munoz from Genk in a deal worth £6.8m in the January transfer window.
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