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Liverpool have ticked the first box on their summer rebuilding programme by completing the signing of Alexis Mac Allister.
The Argentine World Cup winner, who passed a medical in Merseyside on Tuesday, has agreed terms on a deal that will run to June 2028 and an idea of the importance that will be placed on his arrival is the fact he will be given Liverpool’s vacant No 10 shirt.
It is a significant number in Liverpool’s history, as it was worn by John Barnes and, more recently, Sadio Mane but it is also significant for Mac Allister to, given the symbolism of the number in Argentina with Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Liverpool have been tracking Mac Allister since before last winter’s World Cup. The club have offered no guidance on how much they have paid for the 24-year-old nor are Brighton but Mail Sport understands the fee is in the region of £35million.
It had initially been expected that it would take more than £60million for Liverpool to secure Mac Allister’s release, so this investment – on face value – makes huge economic sense: it is up to the player to see if the figure become a bargain.
Liverpool have completed the £35million signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton
The World Cup-winning Argentine has been given the vacant No 10 shirt at Liverpool, as he poses alongside girlfriend Alien Cova after signing his new contract
The midfielder shows off his new No 10 shirt before walking out onto the training pitches
The Argentine takes in what will soon be familiar surroundings after signing his new contract
The midfielder told the club’s official website: ‘It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true, it’s amazing to be here and I can’t wait to get started.
‘I wanted to be in [from] the first day of pre-season, so it’s good that everything is done. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates.
‘It was a fantastic year for me – World Cup, what we achieved with Brighton – but now it’s time to think about Liverpool and try to be a better player and a better human being every day.’
He added: ‘Since I won the World Cup, I said that I want to win more trophies and I think that this club will help me to do that – that’s the aim and when you are in a big club like this one you have to win trophies. So, that’s what I want.
‘Since I arrived here, I can see how big this club is – the players we have, the staff, everyone. I’m really pleased and looking forward to playing for this club.’
Jurgen Klopp has watched him admiringly from afar and Liverpool’s manager believes his versatility and game intelligence will enable him to make a swift transition into the way his team plays.
This is a significant moment for Klopp, as he had made no secret of his desire for Liverpool not to waste a single minute of pre-season and Mac Allister will now be able to join up with his new team-mates on July 8 when they report for pre-season.
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Klopp said: ‘We are adding a very talented, very smart, very technically skilled boy to our squad and this is super news, really it is.
The 24-year-old models the new Liverpool kit after becoming their first signing of the summer
Jurgen Klopp’s summer rebuild at Anfield is now underway, with more deals expected to come
Mac Allister reveals that joining Liverpool is ‘a dream come true’ following his £35m move
‘I do not think the football world needs me to say too much about Alexis’ qualities because they are already pretty well known but it is clear that he is someone who can play in a number of positions in the midfield and is an all-rounder, I would say. He is calm and composed and someone with proper game intelligence.
‘Of course, he is a player we have known about for a long time and I have watched him grow from a young boy coming into the Premier League to a man who helped his country win the World Cup. That is quite a journey.
‘My admiration and respect for what Brighton are doing is well known and Alexis has been a part of the journey that they have been on in becoming one of the toughest and best sides in the Premier League.
‘I’m really happy his next steps will now be with us and we get to work with a player who is already excellent and experienced, but also has so much more to come given he is just 24 years old.
‘He is just as excited to be joining and working with us and that already makes it a good partnership, but there is no pressure on him. He is still so young, so it is obvious he will only improve and our job is to help him take the next steps.
‘I’m grateful to everyone at the club who helped make this transfer happen and I am sure I speak for everyone here when I say I cannot wait to start working with Alexis.
‘It will be a bit of time before he is able to play at Anfield in front of our fans but in this modern world I am sure he will see how our supporters will welcome him to the Liverpool family when he looks at his phone today and sees the messages online. They will make him feel at home straight away. I have no doubt about that.’
Mac Allister leaves Brighton after four-and-a-half years on the south coast and arrives at Anfield as a World Cup winner
He will join up with Argentina for games against Australia and Indonesia later this month – those games are in Beijing and Jakarta respectively – but he will be back in plenty of time and his Liverpool debut could come in their opening friendly against Karlsruhe in Germany.
Though Jorg Schmadtke has come in to become Liverpool’s new Sporting Director, the deal was completed by Julian Ward, who has just left that role.
Liverpool’s recruitment team have a long-standing relationship with Mac Allister’s agent Juan Gemelli.
This is the first step in what will be a busy summer and Liverpool are intent on making more signings to bolster their midfield. All options are open, with players such as Wolves’ Matheus Nunes and Kephran Thuram of Nice having been discussed.
