Alexis Mac Allister Rejects Manchester City Move
Alexis Mac Allister has given Manchester City their answer. It’s no.
City sounded out the Liverpool midfielder as they scoured the market for an alternative to Enzo Fernandez, but the Argentina international has shut the door on a summer move and committed himself to Anfield.
City’s midfield shake-up meets a firm refusal
This is a summer of upheaval in the champions’ engine room. Bernardo Silva is on his way to Real Madrid on a free, Rodri is on course to join Barcelona, and Tijjani Reijnders is heading to Al Qadsiah. Into that void step Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, with City still hunting one more major piece.
The preferred choice is clear: Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Maresca wants to reunite with the Chelsea midfielder, but the pursuit has been boxed in by a hard deadline. Chelsea have set a 5pm UK cut-off for any club willing to meet the £120m valuation. Hit the number in time and a deal gets done. Miss it, and Fernandez is off the market for the rest of the window and again in January.
Maresca has already hinted City are unlikely to launch anything seismic before the window closes today. Put bluntly, the £120m bid is not expected to land. That leaves City scrambling for Plan B.
Mac Allister’s name quickly rose to the top of that list. talkSPORT confirmed the Liverpool playmaker had been identified as a target, and interest moved beyond the speculative stage. An approach was made. The answer came back quickly.
“My son will stay at Liverpool”
The response did not come from an agent or a club statement, but from family. Carlos Mac Allister, a former professional himself, cut through the noise in comments carried by Fabrizio Romano.
“My son will stay at Liverpool. We have not discussed any possibility of him leaving the club this summer,” he said.
TEAMtalk have since verified that Manchester City did make contact over a potential move. Mac Allister and his camp, though, made it clear: he is staying put.
That stance holds even after a difficult 2025/26 campaign, and the reasoning says plenty about where Liverpool are heading under Andoni Iraola.
Iraola’s pull and Liverpool’s plan
According to TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey, Mac Allister sees opportunity, not uncertainty, in the change of manager at Anfield.
“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 has revealed.
“Indeed, sources indicate Mac Allister believes Iraola will be a particularly good fit for him and is excited by the role he can play in the new manager’s plans.”
That belief is being matched from above. Liverpool are already weighing up a new contract for the 25-year-old, despite his current deal having just under two years left to run.
Bailey reports that the club intend to open talks later this year. The idea is simple: extend his stay and upgrade his terms to reflect his importance in the next iteration of this Liverpool side.
“For now, there is no desire from Mac Allister or his camp to pursue an exit, with the player instead focused on returning to work and becoming a key part of Iraola’s Liverpool side,” Bailey adds.
City will move on to the next name on their list. Mac Allister, by contrast, has made his choice. His future, at least for this summer, is painted in red.
