Report: Potential Real Madrid swoop for ‘well-liked’ Liverpool star could become ‘more feasible’ | OneFootball

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is understood to be ‘well-liked’ at Real Madrid, who’ve reportedly ‘received positive feedback’ from the player’s camp.

Last year, we reportedy exclusively for Empire of the Kop that the LaLiga giants had been assessing the Argentine as a possible candidate to reinforce their midfield options and were even prepared to offer as much as €90m (£76.4m), with ‘signals’ from the 27-year-old and his entourage indicating that he’d be open to the idea.

However, by October there were reports from Spanish media that Bernabeu chiefs had cooled their interest in the Reds’ number 10 amid a difficult run of form for him and his team, with Los Blancos apparently switching their focus to other midfield targets.

Mac Allister is ‘well-liked’ at Real Madrid

According to a report by The Athletic on Wednesday (via Football Espana), Real Madrid are expected to shop for midfielders in the summer transfer window, and Mac Allister’s name was mentioned as someone for whom Carlo Ancelotti had asked when he was in charge in the Spanish capital.

Mario Cortegana reports: ‘Although no deal was ever fully explored, Madrid received positive feedback from those around him. The 27-year-old is well-liked at the club, and his contract at Anfield until 2028 might make a deal more feasible, if Madrid were to make a move.’

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Could Mac Allister be tempted by future overtures from Madrid?

Coming from a reputable source in The Athletic, it’s plausible that Liverpool’s number 10 – who of course scored the winner against Los Blancos at Anfield three months ago – could be a genuine transfer target for the 15-time European champions.

As we know all too well from numerous case studies, players often find it impossible to resist the lure of the Bernabeu if it were to come calling, and Mac Allister is at a stage of his career where he might feel that he’d get one chance and one chance only to sign for the Spanish giants.

Champions League qualification isn’t just crucial for the Reds in terms of the financial windfall from being in the tournament, but also for keeping hold of key players who understandably want to be involved in the foremost club competition in world football.

While the Argentine hasn’t hit the same heights this term that he consistently reached last season, he remains a vital part of Arne Slot’s line-up, as underlined by him racking up the sixth-most minutes of anyone at Anfield in the current campaign with 2,238 (Transfermarkt).

The shadow of Real Madrid may well continue to lurk, especially if Liverpool miss out on Europe’s premier club competition for 2026/27, but hopefully Mac Allister won’t see any burning reason to move on from Merseyside for the foresseable future.

That he still has just under two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract at least puts the Reds in a strong negotiating position, should Los Blancos test the waters with an approach for our number 10.