Liverpool are homing in on their priority target this summer and are now believed to have agreed on a fee with Brighton & Hove Albion for Alexis Mac Allister…
What's the latest on Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool?
That's according to Football Insider, who state that the Reds have now agreed to meet the 24-year-old's release clause and will pay roughly £60m to clinch his services.
Signing a deal worth £150k-per-week, Mac Allister will enter Anfield with license to cement a central role in manager Jurgen Klopp's plans, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing this summer.
Manchester United are among the clubs expressing an interest in the World Cup winner, but it is Liverpool who are now poised to tie up a deal in the forthcoming weeks.
How would Alexis Mac Allister perform at Liverpool?
Anfield's imperious centre has been a rock steadily abraded over the past few years, with the once unrelenting, all-conquering Liverpool midfield now an inharmonious cluster of debris.
Cohesion was somewhat restored over the latter phase of the 22/23 campaign, Klopp's men constructing a seven-match winning streak in the Premier League before a twofold of draws in the final weeks.
Even this brilliant purple patch was not enough to salvage top four, and Liverpool now await football in the Europa League for the first time in seven years; with a fortified nucleus, the Reds could yet return to the top, and the importance of Mac Allister's signing cannot be understated.
The Argentine has been on Brighton's books since departing homeland outfit Argentinos Juniors in 2019, but this season he has truly burst into prominence and has posted a return of 12 goals and three assists from 40 outings for the Seagulls, also starring for Argentina in Qatar and scoring a goal and assist apiece, with the "sumptuous" assist – as described by Gary Lineker – served on a platter for Angel Di Maria in the final against France.
A tenacious and "intelligent" midfielder, as praised by compatriot Sergio Aguero, the £50k-per-week gem's energy and exuberance suits Liverpool's system to a tee.
His high-octane approach fuses with a crisp, deceptively effective ball-playing aptitude – he has completed 87% of his passes in the Premier League this term and averaged 1.3 key passes per game – and, as such, could bring the very best out of Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, who has been somewhat out-of-sorts of late.
The Scottish left-back was branded "horrific" by writer Dave Hendrick for a dismal spell against Tottenham Hotspur in the closing weeks of the term, while the Tactical Times also tweeted to remark that Klopp's new "back 3 doesn't suit him" as he is "the definition of a full-back."
In their late-season resurgence, the Reds have implemented a new structure in possession, Trent Alexander-Arnold's inversion into the centre contributing to the central creativity; Robertson, who thrives as a bouncing marauder on the left-flank, has been left at sea and is struggling to acclimatise.
However, with Mac Allister entering the fray, he will have a midfield partner on the left side to match his pace and ease the burden of mixing increased defensive responsibility with creative flair.
It's the start of a new chapter on Merseyside after a forgettable campaign, and Roberton, who has been exemplary for his club since signing from Hull City for a scanty £10m in 2017, a centrepiece in the illustrious success, could flourish at full throttle once more with the rekindling of the Merseyside giant's dissipated verve.
