Alexis Mac Allister has chosen Liverpool as his next club…and wants a deal completed before the end of the week.
He is due to fly back to his home country Argentina at the weekend to report for international duty, and after agreeing personal terms on a five-year contract in principle with the Anfield club, is expected to undergo a medical within the next 48 hours.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has targeted the World Cup winner for some time as a key element of his midfield rebuild, and is now increasingly confident of getting the deal over the line. Mac Allister has a clause in his current contract which allows him to speak to identified clubs - which he inserted when agreeing a new deal with Brighton back before the World Cup.
It is not a straight release clause, with the provision stipulating not a fixed fee, but a figure dependent on several factors, including the current status of the interested party. But it is understood that Liverpool have now settled on a figure which is acceptable to Brighton under the wording of the clause, and will pay a fee thought to be below £50m.
Mac Allister himself has had interest from many big clubs across Europe, given that the fee is less than expected because of the clause. He was out of contract this summer, but agreed an extension in October for two more seasons, with the condition of a release mechanism.
Manchester United and PSG have both been in contact, and it is thought there were several other proposals from clubs involved in Champions League football next season. So it is something of a coup that Liverpool are on the verge of completing a deal for the 24 year old, who was a pivotal figure in Argentina’s triumph in the Qatar World Cup.
He chose Liverpool because of the project Klopp has outlined, with the midfielder a central figure in a rebuild which he believes will return the club to their trophy winning best. And he has agreed a contract significantly less than Europe’s top midfielders can demand, with a figure of around £6m a year reported back in his native Argentina.
Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi admitted last month that Mac Allister had likely played his final game for the club, while the player himself all but confirmed his imminent departure in a post on Instagram. "It was an honour to represent Brighton & Hove Albion FC in a World Cup but to become the first-ever World Cup winner for this club it will be unforgettable (hopefully you will have more), as it will be your welcome after it," he wrote.
"3 years and a half ago, we were fighting for relegation and today, after so much sacrifice, suffering and work, this group will be in the history of this club for becoming the first time this club will play Europe League. We achieved it all together and that’s why we have to feel very proud. VAMOOOOOS."
