Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has played down suggestions that Alexis Mac Allister has already agreed to leave the club during this summer's transfer window.
The 24-year-old has been in impressive form for the Seagulls during the 2022-23 campaign, featuring on 38 occasions in all competitions, contributing 12 goals and three assists in the process.
Mac Allister has 10 goals and two assists in the Premier League, meanwhile, with Brighton securing European football for the 2023-24 season.
The attacker also played a key role in Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup, and his future has been the subject of much speculation over the last few weeks.
Chelsea and Liverpool have been heavily linked with the South American, while a recent report claimed that Manchester City had also joined the race for his services.
© Reuters
However, Barber has played down suggestions that Mac Allister could leave and insisted that the club will fight hard to keep him during the summer market.
"I saw him down on the pitch looking very happy and obviously we want him to be here next season," Barber told talkSPORT.
"Obviously we know there's going to be a lot of clubs, not just in this country, but around Europe and around the world, that are going to be wanting him to play for them. But, at the moment he's wearing blue and white stripes and I'm delighted about that.
"If I lost sleep over every report that I read about one of our players doing that then I wouldn't be sleeping very much at all. At the moment, he's focused on doing what he can for us during his final two games."
© Reuters
Mac Allister arrived at Brighton from Argentinos Juniors in 2019, and he has represented the English club on 110 occasions, scoring 20 goals and registering nine assists in the process.
The midfielder provided an assist in Brighton's 3-1 win over Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, which secured European football for next season.
Mac Allister still has another two years left to run on his contract at the Amex, while the Seagulls have the option to activate an extension until June 2026.
Roberto De Zerbi's side are sixth in the table, three points clear of seventh-placed Aston Villa, with a game in hand on Unai Emery's team and a vastly superior goal difference.
The Seagulls will host the champions Ma City in their penultimate match of the season on Wednesday night before heading to Villa on Sunday.
Matt Law
