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Arsenal, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid are among suitors for Alexis McAllister – with Brighton eyeing a big fee… However, their north London rivals are prioritizing other positions first.
- Alexis McAllister is one of Argentina’s best players at the World Cup
- The midfielder attracted the attention of many European clubs
- Arsenal are interested in acquiring his services after the tournament
- He signed a new contract with Brighton until 2025 before moving to Qatar
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are all interested in the services of Brighton’s Alexis McAllister – although the south coast club will remain unmoved unless a bigger offer comes in.
Argentina’s McAllister, 23, enjoyed a breakthrough in Qatar and emerged as one of Lionel Scallone’s best players as Argentina ended their 36-year World Cup drought with a triumph in the Gulf.
McAllister’s performances, including an assist and a generally flawless display in the final against France, have attracted the attention of various big European clubs.
Alexis McAllister is attracting the attention of various major European clubs after the World Cup
Brighton, long regarded as one of the most sensible clubs in the English Football League, may have foreseen McAllister enjoying a stellar run, handing him a new contract on the eve of Qatar. It runs until 2025 with an option for a further year.
However, despite interest from both English clubs, Sportsmail understands their current priorities lie elsewhere with McAllister not currently at the top of their lists.
The big fee Brighton are demanding is likely to put them off at this stage, while Arsenal are in need of another forward and Tottenham are pursuing other, longer-term targets.
The midfielder emerged as one of Argentina’s best players at the Qatar tournament
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber praised McAllister, saying his performances – and subsequent attention from other big clubs – were a “nice problem”.
McAllister recorded a goal and an assist in Qatar, the latter in the final, and only five Argentine players – including Emiliano Martinez and Lionel Messi – have logged more minutes.
“Of course when the staff and the players are doing well, as we’ve seen in the last few months, they attract interest from other big clubs,” he told BBC Sport.
“These are clubs that are richer and have the chance to give players a new level, we understand that and we are not naive about it.
“All we can do is protect ourselves as much as possible with contracts and hope to keep the player for as long as possible, but this is a young man who has just won the World Cup at 23 and has probably created one. The most iconic goals in the history of the World Cup.’
Brighton have – astutely – tied McAllister to a new deal just weeks before the World Cup
His assist for Angel Di Maria put Argentina 2-0 up at half-time – before they won on penalties in the final.
Indeed, De Zerby praised him after Sunday, saying: “I think McAllister is a great, great player. In terms of quality, but more in terms of mentality. He understands the game before he gets the ball. He has a strong character and a strong personality.
“I’m not surprised by the quality of his performance in this competition. He was a very important player and I think he learned that mentality from his father (former Argentina defender Carlos). In every training session and every game he has a 100% mentality.
“In the last game against Aston Villa, he played a fantastic game.”
A hallmark of Argentina’s triumph was the confidence shown by Argentina talisman Lionel Messi in McAllister. The second goal came in the final against France in a move that included a triangle between Paris Saint-Germain star McAllister and Julian Alvarez before Angel Di Maria got the finishing touch.
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