Liverpool Faces Dilemma Over Alexis Mac Allister Amid Man City Interest

Manchester City’s interest in Alexis Mac Allister has handed Liverpool an awkward but intriguing dilemma — and potentially a route to finally fixing the hole at the base of their midfield.

Reports suggest City is weighing up a move for the Argentina international, who has just two years left on his deal at Anfield. Liverpool is expected to bat away any approach this summer, but the clock on his contract is ticking and the club is still scarred by how it allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konaté to walk away for nothing.

That cannot happen again.

From title cornerstone to question mark

Under Arne Slot in the 2024/25 campaign, Mac Allister was one of Liverpool’s standout performers as the club surged to the Premier League title. He dictated tempo, linked play and looked every inch the modern, press-resistant midfielder Liverpool thought it had signed.

Last season told a very different story. At 27, he suddenly looked heavy-legged. His defensive work waned, his pressing lost its bite, and he contributed little going the other way. The sharpness that once defined him faded, leaving long stretches where he appeared stuck between roles and offering too little in either.

His World Cup displays only deepened the debate. He produced strong performances on the biggest stage, but also drew familiar criticism in several games. Among sections of the Liverpool fanbase, the question has started to surface: is now the right time to cash in?

And then comes City, knocking.

A rare trade that might suit both giants

Straight swaps between elite clubs are almost unheard of. Yet this situation has the feel of one that could genuinely work for both sides.

Liverpool’s need is obvious. The squad still lacks a natural, specialist defensive midfielder. Trey Nyoni is highly rated and ready for a bigger role, but his strengths lie in driving from box to box, not anchoring the side in front of the back four.

Ryan Gravenberch has carried much of that responsibility over the past two seasons. He can operate as both a No. 8 and a No. 6, and he keeps the ball well, but defensive awareness is not his defining trait. Liverpool has been improvising at the base of midfield rather than building around a true destroyer.

That is where Nico Gonzalez enters the conversation.

City paid Porto £50 million for the Spanish midfielder in February 2025. A powerful presence who sits in front of the defense, plays with control and doesn’t shy away from physical duels, he ticks the boxes for a classic No. 6. He has already produced a handful of dominant displays, including a standout performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, yet is still viewed inside the game as a player with plenty more to unlock.

Despite selling Rodri to Barcelona, City is reshaping its midfield again. Ayyoub Bouaddi is arriving from Lille in a $116 million deal, Elliott Anderson has come in, and Pep Guardiola’s side has also used Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly in that holding role. City has not ruled out selling Nico, with Newcastle already circling.

For Liverpool, the profile is almost tailor-made. Nico fits the type of disciplined, combative No. 6 that Andoni Iraola relied on at Bournemouth, and he would represent a clear upgrade on options like Tyler Adams and Alex Scott in that position.

The value equation

From a pure market perspective, Mac Allister is likely worth more than Nico. That matters. If Liverpool were to entertain a player-for-player agreement, it would expect a fee on top — potentially around $20 million — to reflect that difference.

Some supporters would still argue that even this kind of package does not match Mac Allister’s value. Yet Liverpool’s midfield picture is changing. Curtis Jones is on his way out, but the club still has Gravenberch, Nyoni, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Harvey Elliott who can all operate centrally.

What it does not have is a Fabinho-style anchor.

Nico would fill that gap. His arrival would allow Nyoni to play more minutes in his natural, marauding role rather than being shoehorned into a holding job. It would also give Slot the option of targeting another box-to-box midfielder down the line instead of continually patching up the No. 6 position.

Decision time at Anfield

Liverpool faces a clear fork in the road. Either it moves decisively to extend Mac Allister’s contract, backing him to rediscover the form that powered a title charge, or it treats City’s interest as a chance to reshape the core of its midfield.

What it cannot do is drift. Allowing another major asset to run down his deal, as happened with Alexander-Arnold and Konaté, would be a damaging repeat of recent mistakes.

City’s call has forced the issue. Now Liverpool must decide: double down on Mac Allister, or use him to secure the defensive midfielder the team has been crying out for since Fabinho left?