Dad of Liverpool star reveals two Premier League clubs were ‘heavily interested’ in summer signing

Liverpool signed Alexis Mac Allister seemingly without any concrete competition this summer, given that the deal was swiftly completed without much fuss.

However, according to the latest news, there were two top clubs in England that were ‘heavily interested’ in signing the World Cup winner. Fresh off a career-best season which saw him triumph in Qatar, he had also been an integral figure at Brighton helping them to secure European football for the first time in their history - his stock was at an all-time high.

In the end, it was Liverpool who managed to secure a £35m deal, which sources suggesting it could rise to £55m - but it was clearly a bargain in a window where outrageous sums of money were being thrown around. Mac Allister has enjoyed a strong start on Merseyside so far, starting in all seven of their league games to date, recording his first assist against West Ham during the 3-1 victory last weekend.

And now it has been revealed that there was concrete interest from Liverpool’s rivals in Chelsea and Manchester City - according to Mac Allister’s father, Carlos.

“The reason why Alexis went to Liverpool is because they showed so much interest in having him on their team,” Carlos began. “They showed a desire to count on him and we wanted Alexis to go to a team where he could be settled for the start of pre-season; move on the first day of the transfer window – all that stuff.”

“This was so important because we wanted him to have a good preparation with the team he decided to sign with.”

His father also claimed that manager Jurgen Klopp was key in the transfer, and clearly, his intervention was vital as the deal was concluded in early June before Liverpool headed on pre-season.

“Jurgen Klopp was crucial a figure in the transfer. He was talking with Alexis,” Carlos continued. “When he received the phone call from Jurgen it was important in deciding which team he should choose to play for.

“Already Alexis likes to work with Jurgen, and Jurgen likes to work with Alexis. “I think that is very important for a player train at a place where you feel loved, and also your trainer and mates trust you at every moment.”