Liverpool sign Alexis Mac Allister for £35m from Brighton

Liverpool have ticked the first box of their summer rebuilding program by completing the signing of Alexis Mac Allister.

The Argentina World Cup winner, who passed a medical in Merseyside on Tuesday, has agreed a deal that runs until June 2028. 10 shirt.

It’s an important number in Liverpool’s history, having been worn by John Barnes and, more recently, Sadio Mane, but it’s also important to Mac Allister, given the number’s symbolism in Argentina with Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.

Liverpool have been following Mac Allister since last winter’s World Cup. The club have not commented on how much they have paid for the 24-year-old and neither has Brighton, but Mail Sport understands the fee is in the region of £35 million.

It was initially expected that Liverpool would need more than £60m to secure Mac Allister’s release, so this investment – on the face of it – makes a lot of economic sense: it’s up to the player to see if the amount is a bargain is becoming.

Liverpool have confirmed the £35 million signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton

Mac Allister had a fantastic 2022-2023 season for the Seagulls, scoring 12 goals in 40 games

Jurgen Klopp’s summer rebuild at Anfield is now underway and further deals are expected

Mac Allister played a key role in helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in December

Jurgen Klopp has watched him from a distance with admiration and the Liverpool manager believes his versatility and game intelligence will enable him to make a swift transition to the way his team plays.

The midfielder told the club’s official website: “It feels great. It’s a dream come true, it’s great to be here and I can’t wait to get started.

‘I wanted to be there [from] the first day of the pre-season, so it’s good that everything is ready. I look forward to meeting my teammates.

“It’s been a fantastic year for me – World Cup, what we achieved with Brighton – but now it’s time to think about Liverpool and become a better player and a better person every day.”

“Since I won the World Cup I’ve said I want to win more trophies and I think this club will help me do that. That’s the goal and when you’re at a big club like this you have to do that.” win trophies. So that’s what I want.

“Since I’ve arrived here I can see how big this club is: the players we have, the staff, everyone. I am very happy and looking forward to playing for this club.’

This is an important moment for Klopp, as he had made no secret of the fact that Liverpool would not waste a single minute of pre-season preparation. pre-season report.

He will join Argentina later this month for games against Australia and Indonesia – 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.

Although Jorg Schmadtke has come in to become Liverpool’s new sporting director, the deal was finalized by Julian Ward, who has just left that role. The Liverpool recruitment team has a long-standing relationship with Mac Allister agent Juan Gemelli.

This is the first step in what is shaping up to be a busy summer and Liverpool are planning to make more signings to strengthen their midfield. All options are open, with players such as Wolves’ Matheus Nunes and Nice’s Kephran Thuram have been discussed.