LONDON, June 8 (Xinhua) — Liverpool has completed the signing of FIFA World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for a fee thought to be in the region of 35 million British pounds (43.7 million U.S. dollars).
The Argentinean midfielder is Liverpool’s first signing of the summer after the club confirmed that James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would depart this summer, leaving the midfield looking threadbare.
“It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true, it’s amazing to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” said Mac Allister on Liverpool’s website.
The 24-year-old, who formed a key part of Argentina’s World Cup winning squad and was also important as Brighton finished sixth in the Premier League to qualify for Europe, commented that he was happy the move had been completed early in the summer.
“I wanted to be in [from] the first day of pre-season, so it’s good that everything is done. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates.
“It was a fantastic year for me – World Cup, what we achieved with Brighton – but now it’s time to think about Liverpool and try to be a better player and a better human being every day,” he added.
Mac Allister’s signing signals the start of what could be a busy summer for Liverpool, who is set to rebuild after a disappointing season saw them finish fifth in the Premier League and miss out on a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
The club can be expected to sign at least one more central midfielder and will also look to land a striker after Roberto Firmino’s departure at the end of the campaign.
