Premier League trio Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur may be quoted a staggering £130 million for Alexis MacAllister with Brighton refusing to sell the World Cup winner for anything less than a mind-blowing fee.
Arsenal and co may have Chelsea to blame, if reports from Tuttomercatoweb are true.
Chelsea, after all, set the benchmark when spending a club-record £106 million for MacAllister’s Argentina team-mate Enzo Fernandez during the January transfer window. MacAllister, meanwhile, possesses something Enzo did not; a proven track record in England’s top-flight on his side.
And, as Mikel Arteta discovered a couple of months ago, a brilliantly-run Brighton side will not bow down to pressure. The Seagulls demanded £90 million for Moises Caicedo when Arsenal came calling in the winter.
MacAllister would cost even more. Brighton reportedly value one of English football’s most complete, most well-rounded central midfielders at a fee that would break the Premier League’s all-time transfer record.
Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham like Brighton’s Alexis MacAllister
TMW believe Real Madrid could part with £100 million; MacAllister lined up as contract talks with Luka Modric continue to stall. Even that is unlikely to be enough. Brighton, TMW add, value MacAllister at 150 million euros, a fee that is likely to have his many suitors running for the hills.
Tottenham, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan were all linked shortly after MacAllister helped Argentina claim their first World Cup title since 1986 in December (L’Interista). A 24-year-old of Irish heritage is also on the radar of Newcastle United, Chelsea and Arsenal (90Min and TEAMtalk).
Manchester City, TNT Sport say, are another potential destination. Pep Guardiola has reportedly held talks with a fellow Spanish speaker already. MacAllister may be seen as a replacement for the stylistically-similar Ilkay Gundogan, who’s contract is due to expire in July.
MacAllister, in contrast, signed a new deal as recently as October at The Amex.
‘We hope Alexis will stay’
“He’s a very intelligent player,” Argentine legend Sergio Aguero tells ESPN of a man who kick-started the Albiceleste’s World Cup campaign with a group-stage goal vs Mexico. “He positions himself, waits for his moment.
“Alexis has been performing really well all season,” Brighton CEO Paul Barber adds (talkSPORT). “He’s been growing into the Premier League. We were confident in his ability and his character. He’s a really calm presence, a nice lad off the pitch and a very, very good footballer.
“I think when player so well, when their profile increases, there’s always interest. There was interest before the World Cup, and I’m sure there will be even more afterwards. We were working on a new contact in the build up to the World Cup. We met Alexis’ father several times.
“All you can do is try and protect yourself as best as possible. We hope Alexis will continue to play with us for some time to come.”
