Liverpool will make a move in the summer transfer window for Alexis Mac Allister, according to a report which emerged today.
The Brighton midfielder has been the subject of intensifying speculation over a potential move to Anfield, with Fabrizio Romano telling CaughtOffside on Thursday morning that the Argentine is ‘100% leaving’ the Seagulls in the off-season.
The Italian added that a ‘direct meeting has taken place’ between the 24-year-old and the Merseyside club, who are set to ‘push’ for his signature.
The Telegraph‘s Mike McGrath has now doubled down on the Mac Allister links, reporting that Liverpool ‘will compete’ for the 2022 World Cup winner in the summer, with the player having been identified as a target for Jurgen Klopp.
The Argentina international signed a new deal at Brighton last year, taking him up to 2025 with the option of an extra year.
However, prospective suitors are set to explore whether those new terms contain a buyout clause, seeing as his market value has subsequently increased owing to his performances in Qatar last December as his nation became world champions.
A prospective move for Mac Allister was also talked up by GOAL reporter Neil Jones, who told The Redmen TV that there’s likely to be ‘a lot of Premier League readiness in what Liverpool do this summer’.
His claim would suggest that the Reds will focus heavily on signing players from fellow English top-flight clubs rather than looking to Europe or elsewhere, which could make the Brighton star a primary target for Klopp and FSG.
A potential fee of £70m has been mentioned in some quarters (90min), but while that might seem steep, it’s little over half of the £130m that the Merseysiders could have had to pay for Jude Bellingham (Daily Mail), who now seems destined for Real Madrid.
Mac Allister has the benefit of almost 100 Premier League appearances for the Seagulls, with 10 goals in all competitions this season prior to tonight’s clash against Manchester United (Transfermarkt).
During last year’s World Cup, he was labelled a ‘very intelligent player’ by compatriot Sergio Aguero (ESPN Argentina, via The Argus), while his statistic show that he’s also very much a forward-thinking midfielder.
As per FBref, his average of 2.59 shots per game this season ranks him among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s five main leagues, so he could add a significant offensive threat from behind the front three at Anfield.
Liverpool need midfield reinforcements this summer with several current options set to leave on a free transfer; and with one of those in James Milner reportedly bound for Brighton, perhaps the Reds could use that to their advantage to try and persuade the Seagulls to send Mac Allister the other way.