Alexis Mac Allister's Liverpool Future: Uncertainty Amidst World Cup Focus
Alexis Mac Allister’s Liverpool future has slipped into that awkward grey area the modern game knows so well: no crisis, no clarity, just questions.
While the midfielder prepares for a World Cup semi-final with Argentina against England in 2026, there are no contract talks taking place with Liverpool. None with any other club either. For a player who helped drag the Reds back to the top of the Premier League only a season ago, the silence is striking.
A title winner, then a dip
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023 for £35m, Mac Allister arrived as a World Cup winner and quickly became a pillar of Arne Slot’s first Liverpool side. He knitted midfield and attack together, set the tempo, and played a central role as Liverpool reclaimed the Premier League title in Slot’s debut campaign.
Then the drop-off came.
Last season his form tailed off sharply. The sharpness on the half-turn, the calm under pressure, the influence in big games – all dulled. He was no passenger, but he was no longer the driving force he had been. In a squad where standards are unforgiving, that kind of dip rarely goes unnoticed.
No talks, no rush – but no guarantees
According to BBC Sport, Liverpool have not opened discussions over a new deal, despite Mac Allister having just two years left on his current contract, which runs to 2028. There are no ongoing talks with other clubs either. For now, he is expected to stay at Anfield and work under incoming head coach Andoni Iraola next season.
The situation jars when set against what is happening around him.
Dominik Szoboszlai, whose contract also expires in 2028, is already reportedly in negotiations over improved terms. Ryan Gravenberch signed a new deal in May, securing his place in Liverpool’s medium-term plans. Those moves send a clear message about who the club see as core to the project.
Mac Allister, at least on paper, is not yet in that bracket.
Madrid links and a crowded midfield
The Argentine has long been linked with Real Madrid, a familiar name in the background of any elite midfielder’s career. But in this case, the noise has never turned into anything substantial. No bids, no advanced talks, no brinkmanship.
At Liverpool, the midfield picture is shifting. Szoboszlai is being positioned as a central figure. Gravenberch has been tied down. Curtis Jones, another academy product with technical quality, faces his own uncertainty amid interest from Inter Milan; Liverpool have already rejected a third bid from the Italian side.
In that context, Mac Allister’s status feels oddly unresolved. Not unwanted, not indispensable. Just parked.
Iraola’s audition period
Liverpool’s stance points to one thing: assessment. The club appear ready to watch how Mac Allister adapts to Iraola’s demands before committing to a new long-term deal.
Iraola’s football is intense, vertical, built on aggressive pressing and quick transitions. Mac Allister’s intelligence and passing range could make him a perfect conduit in such a system – if he can rediscover the energy and sharpness that defined his first season at Anfield.
If he flourishes, Liverpool hold the cards: two years left, a player restored to peak value, the option of a new contract or a lucrative sale. If he stalls, the club can pivot without being locked into another long, expensive deal.
For now, Mac Allister’s future sits in that narrow space between security and doubt. The World Cup semi-final will command his attention. Once the dust settles and Iraola’s Liverpool take shape, the question will return with more force.
Is Alexis Mac Allister a cornerstone of the next Liverpool era, or a valuable asset waiting for the right moment to move on?
