Alexis Mac Allister: How long is his contract at Brighton, transfer value revealed, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Inter poised – Albion statement

In the past few season, Albion have conducted some very shrewd transfer business and negotiated record breaking fees as the likes of Ben White, Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma and Dan Burn have all departed for hefty sums.

Argentinian World Cup winner Mac Allister is now the latest talent in the spotlight and his potential fee – if he departs – could eclipse that of the £63m the Seagulls received last summer when Marc Cucurella left for Chelsea.

Mac Allister, who joined Brighton from Argentinos Juniors in 2019 for around £7m, has been superb for Albion for the past two seasons. Prior to the World Cup, he was playing the best football of his career and then delivered on the grandest stage for his country as he helped Argentina triumph at the Qatar World Cup.

His energetic and skillful midfield displays were key for the Argentines and Mac Allister helped provide the platform for Lionel Messi to deliver his magic at the vital moments.

Mac Allister will celebrate his triumph with his international teammates before returning to Brighton. He is not expected to feature in the Premier League at Southampton on Boxing Day and facing Arsenal on December 31 could also be a stretch at this stage. The Seagulls however will be keen to have him back and raring to go in the new year but they also face a battle to keep their star man when the January transfer window opens.

What is Mac Allister's contract situation?

The club agreed a contract extension with Mac Allister last October. It runs until June 2025 and there is an additional one-year option for the club.

How much is Mac Allister worth?

Brighton are under no pressure to sell but as proved in the past, if the money and the timing is right, they will. There's no doubt the World Cup has increased his value significantly and the club would certainly hope to top the £63m they received for Cucurella from Chelsea last summer. Bids of around £65m and £70m would certainly get the attention of Albion's savy chairman and owner Tony Bloom. But don’t be surprised if a bidding war ups the fee to around the £85m mark.

Who are interested?

Many of the big guns are expected to be in play which only serves to drive the price up further. A bidding war would suit Albion very nicely and, as it stands, Tottenham, Chelsea, Juventus, Inter and Atletico are the early front runners. Do not rule out Newcastle who could make a move should they lose their midfield star Bruno Guimarães.

Why is he so good?

He learned his craft at Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors before Albion paid around £7m for his services in 2019. He arrived as a playmaker but took a little time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. His talent was clear but he worked hard to improve his physicality and workrate and can now operate anywhere across the midfield. He battles for the team and he is comfortable in a deeper role where his passing and tactical know how allows him to dictate the game. He is also a natural in advance positions and links well with the attack and has an eye for goal.

What have Brighton said?

Yesterday the Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said to the BBC: "When players do well they do attract the interest of other big clubs. These are clubs that are wealthier and have the chance to give players a new level, we understand that and we're not naive to that. All we can do is protect ourselves the best we can through the contracts and hope we can hold on to the player for as long as possible, but this is a young man who has just won the World Cup at 23 and set up arguably one of the most iconic goals in World Cup history."

What transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said

“Mac Allister also had an excellent World Cup: Scaloni considered him a key player in his Argentina world champion, but Brighton have no intention of letting him go. Moises Caicedo has also done very well in his few World Cup matches for Ecuador, English clubs including Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have been monitoring him for more than 6 months but at the moment the market value remains above €65m and the club will try in any case to keep him until the end of the current season, this goes for Mac Allister as well as for Caicedo.”

Will he leave in January?

Sussex World predicts Mac Allister will remain at the club this January transfer window but the summer could be a different story. A hefty fee and a lure of Champions League football could see the World Cup winner exit. Albion fans should enjoy him while they can.