Liverpool have reportedly reached a full agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister this summer.
Since dropping their long-standing interest in Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham due to his £130m price tag, the Reds have been scoping out cheaper alternatives to the Real Madrid-bound Englishman.
Brighton and Argentina playmaker Mac Allister quickly emerged as a leading target, having shone for both club and country, winning the World Cup while helping the Seagulls finish sixth in the Premier League.
While Europa League football is now on offer at the Amex, Roberto De Zerbi offered a pessimistic response when asked if Mac Allister would stay at Brighton for the 2023-24 season during the final weekend of the Premier League campaign.
Despite rumours of a possible hijack from Chelsea, Liverpool were always considered the main contenders to sign the 24-year-old, who is already believed to have agreed personal terms with the Reds.
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According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have now struck an agreement with Brighton to sign Mac Allister and are expecting to wrap up a deal later this week.
Mac Allister reportedly possesses an exit clause in his Brighton contract, making it easier to facilitate a move away, but Liverpool will pay less than the rumoured £60m fee.
Romano adds that the Argentina international is set to undergo his medical tests at Anfield within the next 48 hours, and he will sign a five-year contract until the summer of 2028.
Mac Allister's cousin Luciano Guaycochea had already hinted that a switch to Liverpool was nearly complete, telling reporters last week: "I cannot say where he is going to play, but I think everyone knows it's close to Liverpool. It is a big team. Everywhere he goes, I hope he can play good."
Mac Allister prepares to leave Brighton having registered 20 goals and nine assists in 112 matches for the Seagulls in all tournaments since joining in a £6.9m deal from Argentinos Juniors four years ago.
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The former Boca Juniors loanee ended the 2022-23 season as Brighton's top scorer with 12 goals in all tournaments, 10 of which came in his 35 Premier League outings.
Mac Allister is poised to become Liverpool's first signing of the summer window in the wake of several midfield exits, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner leaving on free transfers as well as Roberto Firmino.
Juventus loanee Arthur has also returned to Turin after failing to play a single minute of Premier League football for the Reds, and more engine room arrivals are expected in the coming weeks.
Mac Allister's Brighton teammate Moises Caicedo is also thought to be admired by Anfield chiefs, while talks are ongoing over a move for Nice starlet Khephren Thuram.
Chelsea's Mason Mount has been strongly linked with a move to Merseyside too, but Manchester United are understood to have leapfrogged Liverpool in the race for the England international.
Ben Knapton
