Neil Jones has revealed that Real Madrid represented Liverpool’s ‘biggest worry’ in the pursuit of Alexis Mac Allister before clinching a deal for the 24-year-old.
The Argentine midfielder’s move to Anfield was confirmed by the Reds on Thursday morning, with Paul Joyce reporting for The Times that the 2022 World Cup winner will cost £35m.
It had been documented that other Premier League clubs were interested in raiding Brighton for the player, although it appears that the LaLiga giants had instigated the most fear within the LFC hierarchy before the transfer was finalised.
Jones said on The Redmen TV‘s Journo Insight Show this afternoon: “I’m told that the worry Liverpool had was Real Madrid actually in this. They were the stalking horse in the race.
“There was a lot of talk about Chelsea and Manchester United being in there but I believe Liverpool’s biggest worry was Real Madrid.
“If you think about the clients, Allan, Ancelotti, an Ancelotti player, there’s a relationship there, there are a few Brazilians who worked with Ancelotti – from that stable. There was a worry that maybe Real Madrid would just see an opportunity – why wouldn’t you at £35million?
“Thankfully, Liverpool, for the fans, it didn’t turn out that way and Liverpool had a pretty clear run at it.”
A year after Real Madrid saw off the Reds in both the Champions League final and the transfer pursuit of Aurelien Tchouameni (The Mirror), Kopites may be all the more delighted about Mac Allister’s signing that the club appear to have got the upper hand on the LaLiga outfit at last.
When Carlo Ancelotti’s side want a player, they tend to get him more often than not, considering their resources and their unrivalled status as 14-time champions of Europe.
Thankfully for Liverpool, the Bernabeu giants didn’t come in and gazump the Merseysiders for the Argentina midfielder, who was also reportedly the subject of an attempted late hijack from Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea before the deal was confirmed.
Jones’ revelation that the Anfield hierarchy had feared the prospect of competition from Real Madrid illustrates the stature of club who’d been interested in the 24-year-old, and just how big a coup it is for LFC to have won the race for the World Cup winner.