Liverpool are planning on handing Alexis Mac Allister the No.10 shirt if he joins from Brighton this summer, according to a new report.
Is Mac Allister set to leave Brighton?
The future of the 24-year-old has been a major talking point of late, with a number of clubs seemingly looking at signing him at the end of the season. He has enjoyed a standout campaign for the Seagulls, scoring ten times in the Premier League, as well as small matter of winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
Mac Allister was a big performer for his country in Qatar, scoring once and also registering an assist for Angel Di Maria in the final victory over France, as he displayed his box-to-box quality, providing the legs that allowed Lionel Messi to wreak havoc further up the pitch.
Liverpool have been continually linked with a move for the Brighton man in recent months, with the Reds considering him one of the strongest options to bring in and solve their midfield woes. A new update further suggests that their interest isn't going away any time soon.
Are Liverpool likely to sign Mac Allister?
According to Ole [via Caught Offside], Liverpool are keeping their No.10 shirt available for Mac Allister to make his own, should he decide to move to Anfield in the summer transfer window. The famous jersey hasn't been worn by anyone this season, with Sadio Mane wearing it before his move to Bayern Munich last year.
This says a lot about how highly Mac Allster is thought of by Liverpool, with No.10 worn by some truly great players down the years, with Mane someone who is an undoubted modern-day legend, for example. Before him, though, the likes of John Barnes, Michael Owen and Philippe Coutinho also donned it, becoming heroes in their own right.
The £50,000-a-week Argentine could be such a perfect signing for the Reds, combining guile and technical quality in a No.8 role with a strong team ethic and good defensive work, having averaged 2.1 and 1.5 tackles per game in the Premier League and World Cup respectively.
At 24, he is significantly younger than the likes of Jordan Henderson (32), Thiago (32) and Fabinho (29), too, and he could give Liverpool the end product that they have often sorely lacked all season long, considering no player in the middle of the park has scored more than once in the Premier League.