OFFICIAL: Liverpool sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton
The Argentine World Cup winner, who passed a medical in Merseyside on Tuesday, has agreed terms on a deal that will run to June 2028 and an idea of the importance that will be placed on his arrival is the fact he will be given Liverpool’s vacant No 10 shirt.
It is a significant number in Liverpool’s history, as it was worn by John Barnes and, more recently, Sadio Mane but it is also significant for Mac Allister to, given the symbolism of the number in Argentina with Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Liverpool have been tracking Mac Allister since before last winter’s World Cup. The club have offered no guidance on how much they have paid for the 24-year-old nor are Brighton but Mail Sport understands the fee is in the region of £35million.
It had initially been expected that it would take more than £60million for Liverpool to secure Mac Allister’s release, so this investment – on face value – makes huge economic sense: it is up to the player to see if the figure become a bargain.
Jurgen Klopp has watched him admiringly from afar and Liverpool’s manager believes his versatility and game intelligence will enable him to make a swift transition into the way his team plays.
This is a significant moment for Klopp, as he had made no secret of his desire for Liverpool not to waste a single minute of pre-season and Mac Allister will now be able to join up with his new team-mates on July 8 when they report for pre-season.
He will join up with Argentina for games against Australia and Indonesia later this month – those games are in Beijing and Jakarta respectively – but he will be back in plenty of time and his Liverpool debut could come in their opening friendly against Karlsruhe in Germany.
Though Jorg Schmadtke has come in to become Liverpool’s new Sporting Director, the deal was completed by Julian Ward, who has just left that role. Liverpool’s recruitment team have a long-standing relationship with Mac Allister’s agent Juan Gemelli.
This is the first step in what will be a busy summer and Liverpool are intent on making more signings to bolster their midfield. All options are open, with players such as Wolves’ Matheus Nunes and Kephran Thuram of Nice having been discussed.
Mac Allister:
“Since I won the World Cup, I said that I want to win more trophies and I think that this club will help me to do that – that’s the aim and when you are in a big club like this one you have to win trophies. So, that’s what I want.”