Manchester United are set to battle Arsenal for the signature of Brighton and Hove Albion’s World Cup winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
The Argentina star has enjoyed a fantastic season for club and country, helping Brighton to sixth place in the league table.
He has scored five goals in 14 Premier League appearances, playing well under both Graham Potter and Roberto de Zerbi.
Mac Allister’s performances with his national team have also gone some way to boosting the 23-year-old’s profile, as he starred in a number of matches for La Albiceleste.
And now Fichajes reporter Ekren Konur reports that the two English giants are keen on the midfielder, who looks ready for a step up.
Mikel Arteta is said to see Mac Allister as a perfect fit for his style of football, prompting Arsenal’s keen interest.
As for Manchester United, the Argentine is a god mixture of grit and guile which could make him ideal for Erik ten Hag.
At present, United have only Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen to depend on for creativity in the midfield and neither player has been afforded much rest as a result.
In addition, Mac Allister is something of a pressing monster, ranking in the 99th percentile for tackles and the 91st for interceptions among all attacking midfielders in the ‘Big Five’ leagues, as per fbref.
The dynamism that he could offer to United’s midfield could very well come in handy, and the sort of intelligence and creativity he showed in the World Cup final – particularly with his assist for Angel Di Maria – would be welcome in the Red Devils’ squad.
Were United to make a move for the Brighton man, it would surely spell the end of Donny van de Beek’s career at Old Trafford, with the Dutchman failing to impress in any way whatsoever since signing for the club.
Replacing the former Ajax player with Mac Allister would provide Ten Hag with more options as well, since the Argentine is a far more versatile player who has already shown himself to be streets ahead of Van de Beek in terms of suitability to the Premier League.
However, such a plan would likely prove quite costly for the club, given Van de Beek’s ever-diminishing value and the fee Brighton would likely demand for on of their star players.
The Seagulls recently extracted over €65m for Marc Cucurella and are in no need to cash in, especially with Mac Allister still having three years to run on his current contract.
They would surely expect a similar – if not an even greater – fee for their newly-minted World Champion.
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