Manchester City Eye Alexis Mac Allister as Rodri Replacement
Manchester City are quietly preparing for life without Rodri – and the name emerging from their internal discussions will raise more than a few eyebrows at Anfield: Alexis Mac Allister.
According to talkSPORT, City are bracing for the departure of their midfield metronome, with the Spaniard close to sealing a move to Barcelona. A £55 million package is understood to be in the final stages, a fee that underlines both his status and the scale of the hole he will leave behind.
For Enzo Maresca, it is a brutal early test. Lose the side’s on‑field compass and somehow keep the machine ticking. City have known this was coming, though. Their summer business has carried the clear imprint of a club planning for a post-Rodri era.
Elliot Anderson has already arrived in a deal worth £116m, a bold, expensive swing at reshaping the midfield profile. Talks with Lille for teenage prodigy Ayyoub Bouaddi are ongoing, with personal terms agreed. The Moroccan is seen as one for the future, a high-ceiling talent to mould rather than a ready-made general.
That is where Mac Allister enters the conversation.
The Argentine is moving into the final two years of his Liverpool contract, a stage that always sharpens interest from Europe’s elite. Since joining from Brighton in 2023, he has been a regular in the Liverpool XI, asked to anchor a side that veered from title winners in 2024/25 to a laboured fifth-place finish last season.
His performances mirrored the team’s trajectory at times. There were spells when he drew criticism, calls for him to be taken out of the firing line as Liverpool’s campaign unravelled. Yet beneath the noise, his reputation among scouts and analysts has barely dipped. They see the World Cup winner who knitted Argentina’s midfield together in 2022. They see the intelligent pivot who underpinned Liverpool’s title charge, chipping in with five goals and earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
For City, that profile is gold dust: tactically sharp, proven in the Premier League, comfortable as a deep-lying organiser or more advanced connector. Crucially, he looks like a player who could step into Maresca’s intricate structure without weeks of adaptation.
At this stage, though, Mac Allister is an idea, not a negotiation.
Transfer specialist Ben Jacobs lifted the lid on the internal debate at City when speaking to talkSPORT. “I know internally Alexis McAllister has been mentioned, but there's been no contact yet, or developments with Liverpool. So that's just more part of a shortlisting process than anything to get excited about,” he explained.
City’s shortlist reflects both ambition and realism. Maresca is said to be a keen admirer of Enzo Fernandez, whom he worked with at Chelsea. The Argentine at Stamford Bridge fits the template of a deep-lying playmaker who can dictate tempo and break lines. Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace’s rising star, is another name that refuses to go away, his composure and range of passing making him one of the most coveted young midfielders in the league.
The problem is price.
“Some people have mentioned Adam Wharton to me as well. So possibly in a perfect world, if Maresca had his say, he might choose to move for Enzo Fernandez. We can't entirely discount it, but the price is a massive stumbling block. And at the moment, City's focus is on trying to get Bouaddi over the line,” Jacobs added.
So City juggle three strands at once: secure Bouaddi, bed in Anderson, and identify a seasoned operator capable of replacing Rodri’s authority. Mac Allister ticks the last box on paper. Whether he ever gets close to the Etihad in reality is another matter entirely.
For Liverpool, the notion of losing one of their primary midfielders to a direct title rival is almost unthinkable. Mac Allister was central to their most recent title success, a player Jürgen Klopp and his staff trusted to orchestrate the press, control transitions and chip in with goals at key moments. Allowing him to cross the divide to Manchester would not just weaken their own core; it would directly strengthen a team they measure themselves against every season.
Even after a turbulent campaign that ended in fifth, the underlying numbers and tactical data around Mac Allister remain strong. Clubs across the league recognise his reading of the game, his positioning, his ability to operate in crowded central zones and still find progressive passes. That is why City’s recruitment team are talking about him at all.
The question is not whether he fits. It is whether Liverpool would even pick up the phone.
With Rodri edging towards Barcelona and Maresca shaping his first City squad, the champions-in-waiting cannot afford to get this decision wrong. One misstep in the heart of midfield can tilt a title race. One bold move – perhaps even one that tests Liverpool’s resolve – could define it.
