Alexis Mac Allister Rejects Manchester City’s Approach
Alexis Mac Allister has heard Manchester City’s pitch – and turned it down.
The Liverpool midfielder, sounded out by City as a potential alternative to Enzo Fernandez, has decided his future remains at Anfield, shutting down one of the late plotlines of a frantic summer in Manchester’s engine room.
City’s midfield overhaul hits a wall
City are ripping up and rebuilding their midfield. Bernardo Silva has left for Real Madrid on a free. Rodri is on course to join Barcelona. Tijjani Reijnders is heading to Al Qadsiah. Three pillars out, three new faces required.
Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi are already through the door. The third signing was supposed to be the statement piece. Enzo Fernandez is top of Enzo Maresca’s wish list, a reunion the new City boss is desperate to engineer.
Chelsea have set the terms. A hard 5pm UK deadline. A £120m bid or nothing. Meet the valuation today and Fernandez goes. Miss it and Chelsea will shut the door, not only for the rest of this month but for January as well.
Maresca has already hinted City are unlikely to go big before the window closes. Read between the lines and that Chelsea deadline was always likely to pass without a £120m offer from the Etihad.
So City started scanning for alternatives. talkSPORT confirmed one name stood out: Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister’s camp closes the door
City made their move. Liverpool’s World Cup winner listened.
Then came the answer.
In comments relayed by Fabrizio Romano, his father, former professional Carlos Mac Allister, cut through the speculation: “My son will stay at Liverpool. We have not discussed any possibility of him leaving the club this summer.”
TEAMtalk have since verified that an approach from City did indeed land. The response from the player’s camp was firm: Mac Allister is staying put.
No games. No leverage play. No late twist.
Iraola the key to Liverpool’s stance
Why turn down the champions at a moment when City’s midfield is wide open and ripe for someone of his profile?
According to TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey, the answer sits in the Liverpool dugout. Or rather, the man about to occupy it.
“The midfielder is more than happy at Liverpool and is looking forward to working under new head coach Andoni Iraola,” an inside source close to the player’s representatives revealed.
Those close to Mac Allister believe Iraola’s style is tailor-made for him. High tempo, aggressive, technically demanding. A system that can put the Argentine at the heart of Liverpool’s new era rather than leave him as just another cog in City’s machine.
Sources indicate Mac Allister is “excited by the role he can play in the new manager’s plans.” That anticipation comes despite what’s described as a difficult 2025/26 season, a campaign that could easily have prompted a reset elsewhere. Instead, he is betting on a reset on Merseyside.
Liverpool move to lock him down
Liverpool are reading the same situation – and moving accordingly.
The club are already considering extending Mac Allister’s contract, which has just under two years left to run. Discussions are expected to open later this year, with Liverpool keen to reflect his importance in improved terms.
Bailey reports that Liverpool “are equally keen to keep Mac Allister” and are “open to extending his stay” as part of a broader plan to build Iraola’s side around key technical leaders.
From the player’s side, there is “no desire” to chase an exit. The focus is simple: return to work, settle under Iraola, and become a central figure in Liverpool’s next iteration.
City will move on to the next name on their list. Liverpool, meanwhile, have their answer – and a midfielder who has just made a very public choice about where he wants his prime years to unfold.
