Liverpool Faces Tough Decision on Alexis Mac Allister Amid City Interest
Manchester City has tested the water. Liverpool, for now, is ready to slam the door shut.
Reports in England say City is weighing up a move for Alexis Mac Allister, the Argentina international who has just two years left on his Liverpool contract. On the face of it, the answer from Anfield this summer is simple: no sale, especially not to a direct rival.
But the situation is nowhere near that straightforward.
A title winner whose form has dipped
Under Arne Slot in the 2024/25 campaign, Mac Allister was a pillar of Liverpool’s Premier League title win. He knitted play together, pressed, tackled, and carried the ball with authority. In that season, he looked every inch the modern, complete midfielder Liverpool thought it had signed.
Last year, the picture changed. At 27, entering what should be his peak, Mac Allister’s level dropped sharply. He often looked heavy-legged, off the pace defensively and strangely subdued in the final third. The zip that once defined his game faded, and with it, some of the trust around him.
His performances with Argentina at the World Cup showed the other side of the coin. He delivered several strong displays on the biggest stage, yet even there some of the same criticisms surfaced. That inconsistency has left a section of Liverpool’s support wondering if this might be the right moment to cash in.
And then there is the contract.
Liverpool’s contract warning – and City’s angle
Mac Allister has two years left on his deal. Liverpool has already been burned by allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konaté to run their contracts down and leave for nothing. The club cannot afford another high-profile free departure.
So the choice is stark: commit to a new deal soon or listen when elite clubs come calling.
City are one of those clubs. They are said to admire Mac Allister’s intelligence and versatility, and with his contract ticking down, they sense an opportunity. Liverpool are expected to reject any direct move from the champions this summer, but the interest itself poses an intriguing possibility: a rare player-for-player trade.
The Nico González solution?
Liverpool’s squad build screams out for one thing: a specialist No. 6.
Trey Nyoni is set for a bigger role, yet his strengths lie in box-to-box work, not anchoring the midfield alone. Ryan Gravenberch has been asked to cover both as a No. 8 and a No. 6, but his game is built around ball retention rather than pure defensive instinct.
That gap has existed ever since Fabinho left. It still hasn’t been properly filled.
Enter Nico González.
City paid Porto £50 million for the Spanish midfielder in February 2025. A product of Barcelona’s system, he arrived in Manchester with a reputation for composure on the ball and physical presence off it. He can sit in front of the back four, break up play, and still pass under pressure – the exact profile Liverpool have lacked.
Despite selling Rodri to Barcelona, City are not short of options at the base of midfield. Ayyoub Bouaddi is joining from Lille in a $116 million deal. Elliott Anderson has come in. Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly have all been used in that zone.
City have not ruled out selling Nico. Newcastle are interested, and inside the game he’s still viewed as a talent who hasn’t yet hit his ceiling. His standout performances, particularly against Real Madrid in the Champions League, underline what he can be when it all clicks.
For Liverpool, he looks like a fit for the kind of No. 6 Andoni Iraola trusted at Bournemouth – aggressive, disciplined, and tidy on the ball. Crucially, he would be a clear upgrade on Tyler Adams and Alex Scott in that role.
A trade that breaks the mould?
Player-for-player deals at the top level remain rare. Values, wages, and egos usually get in the way. On pure market price, Mac Allister likely sits above Nico. That gives Liverpool leverage.
Any conversation would almost certainly involve cash as well as the Spaniard. The numbers floated suggest Liverpool could land Nico and around $20 million on top, which would change the complexion of the debate.
Losing Mac Allister would still hurt. But the midfield picture is not bare. Even with Curtis Jones leaving, Slot can call on Gravenberch, Nyoni, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Harvey Elliott for the more advanced roles. What he does not have is a natural, trusted holding midfielder.
Nico would give him that. His arrival could also free Nyoni to play in his best role and be eased into regular football without being burdened with the responsibility of shielding the back four every week.
A decision Liverpool cannot delay
This is where the real tension lies. Liverpool do not want to strengthen City. They do not want to lose a World Cup winner for less than his value. They certainly do not want another key player walking away for free.
So the clock is already ticking.
Either Liverpool move decisively to extend Mac Allister’s contract and re-establish him as a central piece of their next cycle, or they lean into the interest, explore a trade that solves a glaring tactical problem, and take the financial upside while it’s still there.
Stand still, and they risk repeating the Alexander-Arnold and Konaté mistakes. Act now, and they reshape the spine of their team.
Which way will they jump?
