Alexis Mac Allister Rejects Manchester City Move

Alexis Mac Allister has given Manchester City their answer. It’s no.

City sounded out the Liverpool midfielder as a serious alternative to Enzo Fernandez, but the Argentina international has shut the door on a move across the North West and nailed his colours to the Anfield mast.

City’s midfield shake-up hits a wall

This is a summer of upheaval at the Etihad. Bernardo Silva is on his way to Real Madrid on a free. Rodri is on course for Barcelona. Tijjani Reijnders is heading to Al Qadsiah. A core that helped define an era is being stripped away.

Coming in are Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, with one more midfield signing still to be decided. City’s preferred option is clear: Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Maresca wants to reunite with the Chelsea man, but that chase is running on a brutal deadline.

Chelsea have set a 5pm UK cut-off for any club willing to pay £120m. Hit the number in time and they’ll sell. Miss it and Fernandez is off the market not just for the rest of this window, but for January as well.

Maresca has already hinted City are unlikely to launch anything that dramatic before the window closes. The expectation is simple: the deadline passes, the £120m bid never arrives, and Fernandez stays at Stamford Bridge.

So City turned to the next name on their list.

Mac Allister listens – and turns City down

talkSPORT revealed that Alexis Mac Allister had emerged on City’s radar. Liverpool’s No. 10, a World Cup winner, technically sharp, tactically intelligent – exactly the kind of profile City usually move quickly for.

They did make an approach. But the answer, via the man who knows him best, was emphatic.

“My son will stay at Liverpool. We have not discussed any possibility of him leaving the club this summer,” said Carlos Mac Allister, the player’s father and a former professional himself, in quotes carried by Fabrizio Romano.

TEAMtalk have since verified that City did make contact over a move. Mac Allister and his camp, though, made it clear: he’s staying at Anfield.

No games. No flirting with the idea. Just a straight refusal.

Iraola’s arrival changes the picture at Anfield

Why such a firm stance after what was, by Liverpool’s standards, a difficult 2025/26 season?

According to TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey, a big part of the answer sits in the dugout. Andoni Iraola has changed the mood around Mac Allister’s future.

“The midfielder is more than happy at Liverpool and is looking forward to working under new head coach Andoni Iraola, an inside source close to the player’s representatives has revealed,” Bailey reported.

Sources indicate Mac Allister believes Iraola’s style and demands suit him perfectly. He’s excited by the role he expects to play in the Spaniard’s plans, and sees the new regime as a chance to reset and grow into a central figure in the side.

For a player of his profile, that matters. At City, he would have walked into a reshaped but still stacked midfield, fighting for minutes and status in a squad built for rotation. At Liverpool under Iraola, he sees the opportunity to become a reference point.

Liverpool move to lock him down

Liverpool, for their part, are not taking his commitment for granted.

Mac Allister’s current deal has just under two years left to run, but the club are already weighing up an extension. Discussions over a new contract are planned for later this year, with the intention of both lengthening his stay and upgrading his terms to reflect his importance.

“Liverpool, meanwhile, are equally keen to keep Mac Allister and we understand the club already have plans in place to open discussions over a new contract later this year,” Bailey added. “The midfielder currently has two years remaining on his existing deal, but Liverpool are open to extending his stay and want to recognise his importance to the team with improved terms.”

For now, there is no push from the player’s side to explore the market. No angling for a move. No leverage play.

His camp’s stance is clear: focus on returning to work, embed himself in Iraola’s system, and become a key pillar of the new Liverpool.

City will move on to their next target. Mac Allister, though, has chosen his stage – and he intends to own it at Anfield.