Real Madrid’s prospects of landing Alexis Mac Allister from Liverpool have been boosted by the news that the World Cup winner has a release clause in his contract at Anfield.
It came to light on Saturday via Rudy Galetti that Los Blancos may target a move for the Argentina star, whose contract will expire in 2028.
The Reds will get some relief from the fact that Madrid are only expected to move for Mac Allister in 2025, yet incoming manager Arne Slot may be powerless to resist a deal should the Bernabeu side match the release clause of the 25-year-old.
READ MORE: Premier League Team of the Season
Reports in Argentina, via The Mirror, indicate that Mac Allister will be allowed to leave Liverpool if a team bids €70m (£60m) for his services.
This represents a sizeable markup on the €42m that Liverpool paid Brighton for the player just 12 months ago.
READ MORE: Mbappe ‘DAZZLES’ Real Madrid fans as double Bernabeu challenge revealed
It’s not all bad news
Mac Allister enjoyed an excellent first season at Liverpool, during which he has rapidly established himself as a key player.
According to data analytics experts SciSports, Mac Allister is the Reds’ seventh-best player and second-best option in the heart of midfield behind only Dominik Szoboszlai.
Some solace for the Reds comes from the fact that Ryan Gravenberch is predicted to surpass him, with the Netherlands star given a far higher ceiling via the firm’s SciSkill score, which is based on hundreds of in-game data points.
Ranking Liverpool centre midfielders (SciSport)
| Rank | Name | Position | SciSkill | Potential |
| 1 | Dominik Szoboszlai | CM | 117.4 | 139.7 |
| 2 | Alexis Mac Allister | CM | 115.3 | 127.6 |
| 3 | Ryan Gravenberch | CM | 111.2 | 137.0 |
| 4 | Curtis Jones | CM | 100.5 | 119.5 |
| 5 | Harvey Elliorr | AM | 99.7 | 126.8 |
| 6 | Wataru Endo | DM | 94.2 | 94.2 |
| 7 | Thiago | CM | 84.9 | 87.4 |
| 8 | Stefan Bajcetic | DM | 62.3 | 91.3 |
Additionally, both Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones have higher potential scores than Mac Allister’s current ability.
If these players stay on track to hit their targets, the loss of the Argentine would, therefore, be considerably softened.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Stefan Bajcetic remains something of a wildcard for the Reds after the prodigy had virtually his whole season wiped out by injury. The Spaniard showed immense potential in the 19 games he played during 2022/23.
