Liverpool Faces Dilemma Over Alexis Mac Allister Amid Manchester City Interest
Manchester City’s interest in Alexis Mac Allister has handed Liverpool an awkward but intriguing decision at a delicate point in their midfield rebuild.
The Premier League champion is said to be monitoring the Argentine, who has just two years left on his Anfield deal. Liverpool is expected to knock back any approach this summer, but the situation is not as straightforward as a simple “not for sale” sign.
A title hero whose form has dipped
Under Arne Slot in the 2024/25 campaign, Mac Allister was one of Liverpool’s standout performers as the club surged to the Premier League title. He knitted play together, pressed, tackled, and chipped in creatively. He looked like the heartbeat of a new era.
Last season, that version of Mac Allister all but vanished.
At 27, he often appeared laboured, slow to react off the ball and strangely blunt on it. Defensively he struggled badly, and his attacking influence shrank. The drop-off was stark enough for sections of the fanbase to wonder if Liverpool should cash in while his reputation – boosted by his World Cup displays – still holds weight.
Those same World Cup performances showed his ceiling, but even there he attracted criticism in certain games. The question now is not whether he’s a good player. It’s whether he’s the right one to anchor Liverpool’s next cycle, on the wages and contract trajectory he’s on.
Liverpool’s glaring hole at No. 6
Whatever happens with Mac Allister, one truth keeps screaming for attention: Liverpool still hasn’t properly replaced Fabinho.
The club has leaned heavily on Ryan Gravenberch over the last two seasons. The Dutchman can operate as both a No. 8 and a No. 6, but his game is built on carrying and keeping the ball, not patrolling space and snuffing out danger. Trey Nyoni is tipped to step up, yet his strengths lie as a box-to-box midfielder, not as the lone shield in front of the back four.
That structural gap has shaped almost every debate around Liverpool’s midfield. It’s also what makes Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez such an intriguing name in this story.
Nico Gonzalez: the profile Liverpool lacks
City paid Porto £50 million for Nico in February 2025, backing the Spaniard as a long-term midfield anchor. Even after selling Rodri to Barcelona, City has not exactly been short of options at the base of midfield.
Ayyoub Bouaddi is arriving from Lille in a $116 million deal. Elliott Anderson has been added. Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly have all been used in that role at various points. With that crowd, City has not ruled out a sale for Nico, and Newcastle has already shown interest.
Nico’s story in Manchester has been one of flashes rather than a full, dominant season. He is widely viewed as a player who has not yet reached his ceiling, but he has already produced some commanding displays – including a standout performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
He plays in front of the defence, physical yet composed, and looks every inch the kind of No. 6 Andoni Iraola relied on at Bournemouth. Compared with Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, Nico offers a higher ceiling and a more imposing presence. On paper, he fits exactly what Liverpool has been missing.
A rare swap that could suit both clubs?
Player-for-player trades at the elite level remain unusual, but this is one scenario where the pieces align.
Mac Allister, even after a poor season, would likely command a higher fee than Nico on the open market. That opens up the possibility of Liverpool not only landing the Spaniard but also extracting a fee on top – potentially around $20 million – if the valuations fall their way.
For City, Mac Allister offers versatility and proven Premier League quality in advanced and deeper roles. For Liverpool, Nico would provide the specialist defensive midfielder they have lacked, while freeing Nyoni to develop in his natural, more adventurous position and reducing the need to shoehorn Gravenberch into a role that doesn’t fully suit him.
Liverpool will also lose Curtis Jones, but the midfield cupboard is far from bare. Gravenberch, Nyoni, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Harvey Elliott can all operate centrally. The question is less about numbers and more about balance.
Nico would tilt that balance towards control and protection. Mac Allister keeps it tilted towards technical craft and flexibility.
The contract clock is ticking
The biggest danger for Liverpool is not a bad sale. It is no sale at all.
Having already watched Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konaté walk away as free agents, the club cannot afford a repeat with another high-value asset. Mac Allister’s two-year contract situation is approaching the point where a firm decision becomes unavoidable.
Either Liverpool moves decisively to extend his deal and commits to rebuilding around him, or it listens seriously to offers – even those coming from its fiercest domestic rival.
City is circling. Nico Gonzalez is available. The need for a true No. 6 is obvious. Liverpool’s next move will say plenty about how ruthless – or sentimental – this new era is prepared to be.
