Liverpool have placed Alexis Mac Allister near the top of their transfer shortlist this summer but are braced for competition as the race hots up for the Brighton midfielder.
The Reds recently took the decision to step away from a club-record pursuit of the £130m-rated Jude Bellingham in favour of spreading their transfer budget for the summer across a handful of other, less expensive options and Mac Allister is one of those that fits the bill.
Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, Chelsea duo Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount are three others under consideration, while the Reds have also been linked in connection with Florentino Luis at Benfica and Sporting Lisbon's Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte.
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The list of options is longer this season than it would typically be at this stage of the campaign as Jurgen Klopp plans to bring in a number of reinforcements for his engine room, but the ECHO understands that Mac Allister features prominently for Liverpool as they go about plotting an expensive rebuild of a midfield department that is set to lose James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and loanee Arthur Melo at the end of the campaign.
It is also understood that the Reds are not the only club showing a keen interest in the Argentina international, with Manchester United reportedly one of those who will contest the battle for the World Cup winner's signature.
With Bellingham increasingly likely to end up at Real Madrid following reports in Spanish media this week of a firm breakthrough in their attempts to sign the England international from Borussia Dortmund, the prospect of Manchester City entering the Mac Allister chase is also a possibility as speculation over both Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gunodgan's respective futures continue at the Etihad.
Mac Allister, who struck a stoppage-time penalty as Brighton beat United 1-0 at the Amex Stadium on Thursday, signed a new contract on the south coast in late October, less than two months before he starred for Argentina at the Qatar World Cup. It's unclear if the terms contained a release clause, which could complicate matters given Moises Caicedo is another Brighton midfielder who is likely to come in for strong interest from elsewhere in the Premier League.
Anfield sources have so far remained tight-lipped on how much a potential deal for Mac Allister might cost as they go about spreading their budget across a number of midfield options but reports on Thursday morning suggested the club had already begun sounding out the relevant parties over a deal at the end of the season.
"I think I've been here three-and-a-half years now and I know what this club has given to me," Mac Allister told Sky Sports after his dramatic match-winner against United. "I am really happy to be here and I try to show that to my team-mates with the young South American players that we have a lot of. It is a fantastic team, it is like a family, so every time I am on the pitch I really enjoy playing here."
Speaking on Sky Sports after Thursday's match, former Liverpool captain Paul Ince said: "We're standing next to a World Cup winner, someone who has scored the winner in the last minute against Manchester United but he is still so humble.
"He is talking about the young South American kids who he wants to look after, I know he is young himself but it is not [all] about him. It is about the team ethic and he is happy to work within that. He tows the line, he's happy to do the dirty bit of football but he's also a very talented player.
"The only worry for me is, before the game we sat here and spoke to (chief executive) Paul Barber about clubs coming in for [Brighton] players who are doing well, he's going to be one of those players who clubs are looking at. I hate to say it, but I think clubs will be looking at him."
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