STEVE PARISH is prepared to dig his heels in to keep “extraordinary talent” Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace.
But the Eagles co-owner and chairman accepts he faces a difficult challenge to do that as the England star, 21, wants to play Champions League football in the coming years.

Crystal Palace will dig their heels to keep Adam Wharton amid interest from Manchester United[/caption]
Palace chairman Steve Parish said the club were also eager to keep boss Oliver Glasner[/caption]
Wharton – who arrived in South London from Blackburn Rovers last year for £18million on a contract until 2029 – is one of the brightest prospects in English football.
And while there is “no pressure” to sell and the midfielder is “very committed”, Palace’s resolve would be tested if Manchester United submit a shock £60million summer raid.
Parish, 60, said: “Look, I think Adam at some point will want to play, either in the Champions League with us, if we could make that happen, or probably with another club.
“He’s an extraordinary talent. I think right now, and I can’t speak for Adam, but I think he’s focused on his time at Crystal Palace.
“He had a broken season last season with the groin issues that he had, which a lot of young players get.
“This season he’s completely focused on putting the games in, getting in the England squad, being a regular for us. I think he’s very committed to the club.
“I mean, if Manchester United want Adam Wharton, that’s nothing surprising really.
“The fact of the matter is he’s got a long contract to run. There’s no pressure on us to do it and I don’t think there’s any real pressure from the player either.”
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Palace will be forever indebted to boss Oliver Glasner, their greatest-ever manager, for guiding them to historic 1-0 FA Cup Final victory over Manchester City at Wembley.
A few months later, they beat Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield, following a 2-2 draw, at the start of this season.
The highly-rated Austrian, 51, is out of contract next summer but following “early conversations”, Parish wants him to stay at Selhurst Park.
Parish told Shaun Custis and Henry Winter on talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition: “We would love to keep Oliver. We’re building something. I think for Oliver, it’s about the conditions being right.
“It’s about everything being in a way that he enjoys his work, and he finds the conditions favourable to achieve.

Parish said the Eagles wanted to “build something” after winning the FA Cup[/caption]
“Oliver wants to win things. He makes no secret of that. He’s in football for those days where we give all that pleasure to the fans. And we do as well.
“So, if we can align those interests, then hopefully we can make something happen.”
Last month Glasner strongly denied reports he had fallen out with Parish towards the end of a chaotic transfer window as Liverpool’s £35million bid for defender Marc Guehi collapsed.
Parish said: “I think Oliver’s a brilliant guy. He’s a sensational manager and his opinion is extremely important to the football club.
“What he thinks is something that we take very seriously. Certainly I take it very seriously.
“And, you know, will we look back on things and adapt what we do? Absolutely, in future.”
Guehi’s contract expires this season and unless he pens a new deal, he can walk away for nothing next summer.
Yet Parish reckons keeping hold of their FA Cup-winning captain this season, while the club play in the Uefa Conference League for the first time, is a gamble worth paying.
Parish said: “These things are never black and white. I decided in the end that based on the advice I got and with what I think, we would have a better season if we kept Marc.
“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we’d have said: ‘Right, we should take the money.’
“But with the Conference League, with the way that we want to fight this season, maybe to finish in the top half of the league for the first time, we felt it was a good decision to keep Marc.”