24-year-old PL star pushing to leave after claims Liverpool have now offered him a verbal contract

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Reported Liverpool target Alexis Mac Allister is ‘really pushing’ to leave Brighton & Hove Albion in the coming weeks.

Mac Allister has emerged as Liverpool’s priority in the transfer market after the collapse of their pursuit of Jude Bellingham. It’s a saga that seems to be moving quickly, with journalist Cesar Luis Merlo claiming earlier in the week that the Reds have offered a verbal contract to the Argentine.

Now, fellow transfer expert Ben Jacobs has also weighed in. Although Jacobs stops short of mentioning Liverpool while speaking to The Football Terrace, he does reassert that Mac Allister is doing his best to leave Brighton. Jacobs also explains how the 24-year-old could affect teammate Moises Caicedo leaving the Amex.

“Alexis Mac Allister is the one really pushing and trying for the early move,” he said. “If Brighton make European football they are not going to want an exodus and they only sell on their terms. That doesn’t mean Caicedo won’t be sold, but if Mac Allister goes early we have to wait and see what Brighton do.

“They are going to want a replacement and that may delay a Caicedo move later into the window or it might make Brighton a bit more bullish. Nothing has changed with Caicedo. Just because he’s signed a new deal, he still appreciates that big clubs want him and Brighton know that. But they are not going to sell Mac Allister day one of the window, sell Caicedo day one of the window and then be like ‘yikes.’”

Mac Allister looking for Brighton escape

Although nothing much has changed over recent days in this saga, it is a really quite fascinating state of affairs. As we know, Brighton are loathe to do business on anybody’s terms but their own. The Athletic reported recently that if they are to sell Mac Allister this summer, they’ll want £80m for him.

On anyone but Brighton’s terms, that isn’t happening. The Argentine may have won the World Cup, but he isn’t worth that kind of money.

So, it seems that the Seagulls will have to do what they absolutely insist that they won’t: budge.

If Mac Allister was happy enough to sit back and go with the flow, perhaps they could get away with quoting exorbitant fees without consequence. But if he wants out, then they simply can’t do that. They’ll have to compromise or face harbouring an unhappy player with decreasing value.

Thankfully – from Liverpool’s point of view – his father, Carlos, has already spoken publicly of he and his son’s desire for a change. If Brighton start getting in the way of that happening, then it could strengthen the Reds’ hand.

All of this boils down to it looking likely that Mac Allister becomes a Liverpool player. Or at the very least, that he won’t be a Brighton one for too much longer.