Arsenal and Man City battle for Alexis Mac Allister

Stuart Telford

• 16 Mar 2023 19:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal and Manchester City are set to go head-to-head for the services of Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister this summer, according to reports.

Mac Allister's stock has never been higher after the midfielder helped Argentina to World Cup glory in December, starting six of the Albiceleste's seven games in Qatar.

He has also impressed with Brighton in the Premier League, his seven goals and one assist this season helping the Seagulls into seventh after 25 games played, just two points away from the European places.

READ: Ranking Mac Allister’s most suitable summer destinations

Premier League leaders Arsenal have previously been linked with a move for the 24-year-old, with the Daily Star reporting recently that the Gunners would be willing to surpass Brighton's £70 million valuation of the player. And now English champions Man City are in the race.

Pep talks

"Pep Guardiola had talks with Alexis Mac Allister and he is a serious option for Manchester City in the next summer window," says TNT Sports journalist Ariel Helueni.

Guardiola is on the look-out for a midfielder with Mac Allister's profile with Ilkay Gundogan out of contract at the end of the season, with Barcelona poised to sign the Germany international on a free transfer.

READ: Guardiola hints at Haaland future amid Real Madrid links

Arsenal are also keen to bolster their midfield, although the winter acquisition of Jorginho might have impacted upon their willingness to break the bank for the Argentine.

Mac Allister is valued at €32.6m (£28.6m) by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, although a bidding war between the current top two in England could drive his eventual price up significantly higher.

Mac Allister is under contract with Brighton until 30 June 2025, although there is a club option to extend his stay by another year beyond that.

Brighton have shown recently how unwilling they are to be low-balled for their players, with Mac Allister's fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo the subject of a £70m bid from Arsenal in the summer that was dismissed out of hand.