Blackburn Rovers already know that they are losing Ben Brereton Diaz on a free this summer, having not cashed in on the Chile international when they had multiple opportunities to.

They've not taken any chances when it comes to their other stars though as they've tied a number down to long-term deals, including the emerging talent that is Adam Wharton.

The academy graduate made his debut early on in the 2022-23 season and in September he signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until the summer of 2027.

That hasn't stopped bigger clubs watching the 18-year-old though - Alan Nixon reported in April that Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Brighton were all keeping tabs on the wonderkid, whilst the Daily Mail last week added Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham's names to the mix as teams who had been scouting the central midfielder.

What has been said of West Ham's interest in Adam Wharton?

Reliable Hammers insider 'ExWHUEmployee' has been speaking out on the club's potential transfer plans for this coming summer, and they are expectant on Moyes dipping into the EFL to recruit some players in different positions.

He is no stranger to doing that with players such as Jarrod Bowen arriving from Hull CIty in 2020 and Wharton has been name-dropped as one in particular who a strong play could be made for.

“We are certainly looking at players in the Championship," ExWHUEmployee said on the West Ham Way podcast.

“One to keep an eye on is (Adam) Wharton of Blackburn Rovers, who has very much impressed this season.”

Would Adam Wharton be able to step up into the Premier League?

It's obviously hard to say if Wharton would be able to make the move to the top flight of English football and get immediate game-time, but from what we've seen of him in his 18 Championship outings, he certainly has a lot of class.

He may be slight in his frame but he does manage to shrug off the challenges of more powerful and aggressive midfielders quite easily, and he's already chipped in with a couple of goals despite not being an attacking midfielder.

If a Premier League club were to sign him this summer, perhaps the best thing would be to facilitate a season-long loan move back to Rovers so that he has one more year of development under his belt at Championship level.

Then, he could come back to whichever club has purchased him and potentially flourish, but if he gets game-time straight away in the Premier League then it'll be a show of faith, and perhaps there's a gap to be filled in West Ham's engine room with the expected departure of Declan Rice.