Alexis Mac Allister is reportedly heading for the Anfield exit door, with Liverpool having no plans to offer the World Cup winner a new contract and instead preparing to sell him in the summer of 2027 as part of a major midfield overhaul.
The Argentina international is under contract until June 2028, but according to Sky Sports Switzerland reporter Sacha Tavolieri, relayed by Sports Mole, Liverpool do not intend to extend that deal and are planning to invest heavily in a new midfielder at the end of this season. Mac Allister, 27, has reportedly been informed of the club's intentions, and his representatives are now assessing options in Spain and Italy, with interest from Saudi Arabia also reported.
A player who wanted to stay
What makes the story striking is that Mac Allister has made no secret of wanting to remain on Merseyside. As CaughtOffside reported, his father and agent Carlos confirmed in September that Liverpool had not contacted the family about an extension, while the player himself admitted he was "very sad" not to have received a new offer — even as he promised to keep giving everything for the club.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool's opening Champions League fixture in September, Mac Allister revealed there had been a chance to leave in the summer, but that he stayed — only to watch team-mates Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch sign new deals while his own future was left unresolved. His preference, by every account, remains to stay at Anfield. Liverpool, it seems, have other plans.
Form that makes the decision harder to explain
This is not a fringe player being eased out. Mac Allister has been one of Liverpool's standout performers this season, scoring four goals in 12 appearances across all competitions, and his record since arriving from Brighton stands at 23 goals and 21 assists in 162 appearances. Only last week he scored twice in the remarkable 4-3 comeback win over Villarreal at Anfield — a reminder, in front of his own supporters, of exactly what Liverpool would be giving up.
Real Madrid are among the clubs monitoring the situation, with Sports Mole noting that the Spanish giants are still searching for greater control in midfield since the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, and José Mourinho is reported to be an admirer. A midfielder of Mac Allister's age, pedigree and World Cup-winning experience will not be short of suitors in La Liga or Serie A if Liverpool do open the door next summer.
So what happens next?
In the short term, nothing changes on the pitch: Mac Allister remains a Liverpool player, under contract for another 18 months beyond this season, and Andoni Iraola's side host Chelsea at Anfield tonight in the Carabao Cup before a huge Premier League meeting with Arsenal, for whom Declan Rice and Noni Madueke are expected to be fit. But the timing of the decision matters. Selling in the summer of 2027, with one year left on his deal, is Liverpool's last realistic window to command a serious fee — wait any longer and the power shifts entirely to the player.
That also means every big performance between now and then cuts both ways: it strengthens Liverpool's hand at the negotiating table, and it strengthens the argument that letting him go is a mistake.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Refreshing a midfield is sensible; discarding a 27-year-old World Cup winner who is in form, who wants to stay and who just dragged you back into a European game almost single-handedly is a gamble dressed up as a strategy. If Liverpool spend massively next summer and the new man takes a season to settle, this decision will be the one supporters point back to. Mac Allister deserved a conversation about a new contract — instead, he got a farewell scheduled a year in advance.
Should Liverpool offer Mac Allister a new deal, or is a midfield rebuild the right call? Let us know what you think in the comments.
