Alexis Mac Allister has been given permission to undergo a medical as Liverpool close in on their first signing of the summer.
The Reds have made the Argentina international their primary target as Jurgen Klopp looks to overhaul his midfield options after seeing his team drop out of the Champions League for the first time since 2017.
Mac Allister is currently on holiday in Miami enjoying a post-season break before meeting up with his international colleagues for a friendly with Australia on June 15 in Beijing, but the 24-year-old has been granted permission to have a medical with Liverpool ahead of a move which the club hope to formally conclude this week.
The existence of a release clause in Mac Allister's Brighton contract that was only signed in October is thought to have made the negotiating process smoother with Brighton but it is unclear how much the deal for the World Cup winner will be as they look to secure their first major deal of the summer.
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Following talks between the two clubs, Mac Allister is now set to be routinely checked over by Liverpool's medical department before officially becoming a Reds player when the transfer window opens later this month.
Speaking at the end of Brighton's Premier League season, Seagulls manager Roberto De Zerbi accepted that the South American was likely set for pastures new alongside team-mate Moises Caicedo.
"I think that can be the last game of Alexis and Moises (Caicedo), I'm really sorry," said De Zerbi. "They are two great people and two great players. The policy of Brighton is like this. I think it's right they can leave, can change teams and play in a level higher. We are ready. We have to find other big players to play without Alexis and Moises.
“If you ask me about Caicedo and Mac Allister, I love them and they are two big, big players and can play in a big European team. They can play in every competition. I hope for them they can play [for the] best team in the world, because we’ll be the first big fan of them.”
Work has been underway for some time on a deal for Mac Allister with Klopp eager to wrap up his business as soon as possible ahead of a return to pre-season training next month and attention will now turn to who else Liverpool have on their shortlist as they continue efforts to bolster their midfield numbers for next season.
Southampton's 19-year-old midfielder Romeo Lavia has his admirers as does Wolves' Portugal international Matheus Nunes, while respective reports in France and Germany last week linked the Reds to Nice's Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach. Bayern Munich's Netherlands international Ryan Gravenberch is another who is said to be of interest.
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