Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is expected to swap the Amex for Anfield in the coming days, as he closes in on a big-money move to Liverpool.
The 24-year-old will end a successful stint on the South Coast to join Jurgen Klopp's side on a five-year deal, as the Reds' summer midfield overhaul begins with the astute acquisition of a World Cup-winning lynchpin.
Mac Allister is expected to put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Liverpool, whose ailing midfield has been depleted by the exits of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner, but a new dimension will be brought to their engine room with Mac Allister in the first XI.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Liverpool could line up with Mac Allister.
Frequently displaying his versatility at Brighton as a number six, number eight or number 10, Mac Allister would likely be named on the left of Liverpool's midfield trident when the team sheets arrive.
However, as Liverpool build up their attacks, Trent Alexander-Arnold would tuck into the midfield position where he thrived in the final stages of the 2022-23 season, allowing Mac Allister to flaunt his creative excellence further up the field.
Klopp also has the option of deploying Mac Allister in a double pivot or in an attacking midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 setup, where Fabinho would likely be a nailed-on starter alongside him in both scenarios.
A standard 4-3-3 shape should allow Jordan Henderson to join Fabinho and Mac Allister on the right-hand side of the engine room, as the injury-plagued Thiago Alcantara will often be utilised on the left when fit.
Mac Allister's arrival could therefore signal a changing of the guard ahead of Thiago's contract expiry next summer, but who he will be feeding in the Reds' attack is anybody's guess right now.
Mohamed Salah continues to hold the fort on the right, while Luis Diaz has waltzed back into the team at left-wing since recovering from knee surgery, leaving Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez to fight for the final attacking spot - a battle that the former may win for now.
As well as Klopp's non-negotiable counter-pressing, Mac Allister would also be required to help Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker at the back, as Liverpool prepare for the 2023-24 season with an unchanged rearguard.
> Click here to see which shirt numbers could be available to Mac Allister at Liverpool
body check tags ::
