Liverpool sign Alexis Mac Allister for £35m from Brighton

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.

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

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.

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.’

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.

 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

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.