Liverpool are apparently getting increasingly confident of completing a £70 million deal for Brighton midfielder Alexis MacAllister. The Argentine World Cup winner is poised to leave the Seagulls this summer after a standout season under Roberto De Zerbi.
In addition to excelling for his country on the way to Qatar triumph, Mac Allister has 12 goals and two assists in 36 games this term. Moreover, the current Brighton's No. 10 is leading the goalscoring charts for the Seagulls this season.
The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals in 31 Premier League appearances for De Zerbi's side. Moreover, he played the entire 90 minutes in their 3-0 triumph against title contenders Arsenal on Sunday.
However, after the game, De Zerbi revealed that Brighton may lose some of its high-profile players this summer, notably Moises Caicedo and Mac Allister.
Liverpool have been at the front of the queue since Chelsea reportedly discontinued their interest in Mac Allister, but Manchester United and Arsenal are rumoured to be keeping a careful eye on events.
According to The Mirror, Liverpool are preparing to rush in with a £70 million bid when the transfer market opens, and the Reds are sure that such a figure will suffice.
According to the source, talks have already proceeded to a fairly advanced point, and Mac Allister is willing to trade the Amex for Anfield for the 2023-24 season and beyond.
The 24-year-old's potential move to Merseyside would end a four-and-a-half-year career on the South Coast, when he arrived from Argentinos Jrs for just £7 million in January 2019.
Following a loan spell at Boca Juniors, Mac Allister has scored 20 goals and assisted eight times in 108 games for Brighton, who moved up to sixth in the Premier League rankings with Sunday's win at the Emirates.
Liverpool will lose all of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Juventus loanee Arthur this summer, so Mac Allister's arrival might herald the start of a huge midfield reshuffle.
James Milner's contract expires in a few weeks, and despite Jurgen Klopp's expressed wish to keep the 37-year-old, he is anticipated to follow in the footsteps of Mac Allister and join Brighton on a free transfer.
Liverpool have withdrawn from the competition to recruit £130 million-rated Borussia Dortmund talent Jude Bellingham, and are now expected to sign at least two, if not three, new midfielders this summer.
Mason Mount of Chelsea and Manuel Ugarte of Sporting Lisbon have also been suggested as possible targets, with the latter's agent recently claiming that Ugarte is "sure" to leave his present club this summer.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have made no headway in negotiations to extend Mount's contract beyond the summer of 2024, despite the fact that incoming Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino reportedly wants to restart talks with the playmaker as soon as possible.
For more Sports updates please follow us on Twitter