Liverpool may be sleepwalking into diabolical 2027 transfer mistake – opinion

Jose Mourinho is reportedly keen on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

Sky Sports Germany claim that the Argentine star is high on Real Madrid's wishlist, with the Spanish outfit paying close attention to the situation ahead of the footballer's contract expiring in the summer of 2028.

On current evidence, Liverpool should keep Alexis Mac Allister

There were suspicions that a truly horrendous domestic campaign from the former Brighton man would culminate in his departure from Anfield this summer.

However, following an impressive (and evidently rejuvenating) World Cup campaign with Argentina, we've seen Mac Allister reborn in the middle of the park for Andoni Iraola's men . In fact, there's a pretty convincing case you could make for the 27-year-old being a strong contender, alongside Jeremy Jacquet, for Liverpool's player of the season, as things currently stand.

There were serious concerns about the midfielder's legs being gone, given he's endured a relentless run of fixtures between his involvement across Brighton, Liverpool and the national side.

But if we're seeing this version of Alexis Mac Allister every week, and there's hope for some longevity beyond the end of his contract, you have to wonder whether Liverpool might be tempted to extend his current terms – even if only to protect his value.

The case for selling Mac Allister to Real Madrid

Reporting from Sky Sports Switzerland claims that Liverpool are firm on the idea that they won't be offering their leading performer a contract extension, despite Mac Allister being more than open to extending his stay at L4.

Why? Well, the Reds are reportedly planning another midfield overhaul, and so Mac Allister is presumably one name that could be sacrificed on the transfer pyre in the interest of bringing in a quality signing.

There is some sense in this approach; the former Seagulls man is, currently, one of our more valuable assets. But if you're selling a player with a year left on his contract, you're opening yourself to being bullied on the price tag (if you're not prepared to risk a free exit) without a bidding war, and it seems like Real Madrid are the only really keen suitors at this stage.

But, realistically, what are Liverpool hoping to achieve with this? Because on current evidence, Alexis Mac Allister is the one senior midfielder who appears to have taken to Andoni Iraola's methods like a duck to water. He sits deeper than Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, and his passing is considerably more impactful – is there an expectation that either of his teammates will improve in that regard?

We all broadly agree that bringing in a more natural six would be a sound move for the recruitment team. But would selling the Argentina international really be in our best interests? We're going to need to see some serious improvement from Szoboszlai and Gravenberch to justify it.