Coming out of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina and Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister will likely be a new name added to the transfer wish list of many top European clubs. Mac Allister was one of his country's best performers as they soared to World Cup glory after beating France in a dramatic penalty shootout in Sunday's final in Qatar.
Mac Allister was on the score sheet in the group stage win against Poland and provided a perfectly-weighted pass for Angel Di Maria to double Argentina's lead in the final after Lionel Messi had opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
Prior to the tournament commencing, Brighton were receiving a lot of interest regarding a number of their players, most notably Leandro Trossard and Moises Caicedo. Following Mac Allister's starring role, he could be the latest Seagulls player on the transfer wish lists of many top European clubs, but CEO Paul Barber has revealed that the club were "working on a new contract for Alexis in the build-up to the World Cup".
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The 23-year-old will certainly not be the only Argentine midfielder now being closely watched by numerous Premier League clubs, with Benfica's Enzo Fernandez also starring in Qatar. After making a cameo appearance against Saudi Arabia, Fernandez scored a delightful goal off the bench in his nation's 2-0 win over Mexico which saw him in turn start all of Argentina's remaining games on the way to winning the World Cup.
Understandably through his displays for Lionel Scaloni’s men, interest in him has significantly ramped up, with Arsenal now listed as a club to have enquired over a potential transfer.
O Jogo are reporting that the Gunners have made contact with Fernandez's agent, with the report also claiming Arsenal are joined by at least nine other teams - understood to include Chelsea and Liverpool - ahead of the January window opening.
Youri Tielemans seems to be the priority midfield option but the Gunners could be tempted to push for a deal with Benfica for Fernandez given his impressive World Cup.
However, most teams, including Arsenal, could be put off by his proposed price tag, with Foot Mercato reporting that Benfica have little intention of accepting a bid. With the Portuguese outfit unlikely to even enter negotiations it would mean that any side wanting to sign the 21-year-old would have to trigger his £105 million release clause.
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