Arsenal have reportedly joined a number of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion star Alexis Mac Allister.
The 23-year-old has made an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign with the Seagulls, scoring five goals in 14 Premier League appearances under Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi.
The midfielder then established himself as a key cog in Lionel Scaloni's Argentina side that won the 2022 World Cup, beating France on penalties in Sunday's final.
Mac Allister, who provided an assist for Angel di Maria in the final, has now returned to his homeland with the rest of his Argentina teammates to celebrate their World Cup success and has been granted two weeks off by Brighton boss De Zerbi.
Throughout this season, Mac Allister's performances have not gone unnoticed and a host of European clubs are believed to be interested in his services.
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A recent report claims that Spurs are one of four teams along with Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid who are considering a bid for the midfielder.
According to Spanish news outlet AS, Arsenal are the latest club to enter the race for his signature ahead of the January transfer window.
Mikel Arteta confirmed earlier this month that the Gunners will be "very active" in the winter window, and they are believed to be exploring the possibility of reinforcing their midfield.
Mac Allister joined Brighton from Argentinos Juniors for around €8m (£6.9m) in January 2019 and he has since made a total of 86 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 times and registering six assists.
The midfielder is under contract at the Amex Stadium until the summer of 2025, but Brighton CEO Paul Barber has revealed that talks are already underway over a new deal.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Barber said: "We were working on a new contract for Alexis in the build-up to the World Cup."
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Barber has also admitted that he expects more clubs to register their interest in Mac Allister off the back of his impressive showing for Argentina at the World Cup.
"As we've always said, when players do well, when their profile increases, there's always going to be interest in them," Barber added.
"And this will be no different, Alexis is no different, there was interest in him before the World Cup and I'm sure there will be more interest in him afterwards.
"All we can do in situations where you've got a great asset is to try and protect yourself as best as possible. We've done that with several of our players and staff over the last several years, and that's all you can do in these situations.
"We hope Alexis will continue to be playing for us for some time to come."
Brighton will be without Mac Allister when they travel to The Valley to face League One outfit Charlton Athletic in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Oliver Thomas
