Brighton insist they plan to hang on to their World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister was attracting interest from Tottenham before helping Argentina lift the World Cup for a third time on Sunday and Brighton CEO Paul Barber knows his list of suitors will only grow.
Mac Allister signed a new contract with the Seagulls until 2025 in October and Barber insists they are not interested in cashing in on the playmaker. He said: “Of course, we’re very aware that when any of our players, when any of our staff, do well, they’re going to attract interest from bigger clubs, wealthier clubs.
“We’re very conscious of that. But we want to keep Alexis here as long as we can. He’s a very important part of the team and we’re looking forward to having him back in the not-too-distant future.”
Mac Allister, who cost £7million in 2019 from Argentinos Juniors, scored his first international goal in Qatar and starred in Argentina’s win over France, setting up Angel Di Maria for their second goal.
Barber says the South American is living a fairytale and claims everyone connected with Brighton is thrilled for him. He said: “He’s worked so hard since he’s joined us, since he broke into the national team and it’s a really special time for him.
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“I sent him a message after the game last night, not for one minute expecting a reply. When I woke up this morning, there was a reply, thanking me and thanking the club for all their good wishes.
“That’s the type of person that Alexis is and we’re absolutely delighted for him. He’s 24 on Christmas Eve, so what a birthday present he’s just had.
“To break into the Argentinian starting line-up during a World Cup, to keep his place, to score his first goal for his country during the World Cup and then to end up with a winner’s medal is fairytale stuff. It’s real schoolboy-dream stuff.”
It is not yet known when Mac Allister will return to Brighton, with Argentina set for a long period of celebration. After the final win, he admitted winning the World Cup was a dream come true and hailed Lionel Messi as the greatest player of alltime.
"It is always Messi, it is always Messi. He is fantastic. I cannot explain in words what I am feeling now, I think this team gave everything on the pitch so I'm really happy for the result," Mac Allister said.
"I think he is the best player in the world, the best player of all time. He is amazing, he is a really nice guy, he is humble so he has everything to be the best player in history so it is amazing to share a dressing room with him and I'm very grateful."
