Man City transfer news: Manchester City have been offered Alexis Mac Allister by third-party intermediaries, according to Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio. The approach has come from agents who know City are chasing a central midfielder this window. Mac Allister, 27, is being positioned as a Plan B if the Enzo Fernández deal from Chelsea collapses.
Romano confirmed intermediaries are pushing the Liverpool man’s availability to City’s hierarchy. His father and agent Carlos Mac Allister has publicly insisted his son intends to stay at Anfield, where he’s contracted until June 2028. Still, the offer is real, and City are listening.
Man City transfer news: What Mac Allister brought to Liverpool this season
Mac Allister was Liverpool’s most consistent central operator throughout 2025/26. Across 37 Premier League appearances covering 2,671 minutes, he registered 2 goals and 4 assists at an 89% passing completion rate. He added 3 goals and 1 assist across 12 Champions League outings, including a decisive winner against Real Madrid. At the World Cup with Argentina, he played 7 times and scored twice before a quarter-final exit against Spain ended their campaign.
Man City transfer news: Why Mac Allister actually fits Maresca’s system far better than Enzo
Here’s the uncomfortable truth City’s recruitment team probably already knows. Enzo Maresca’s system demands something very specific from central midfielders. High ball recoveries, suffocating counter-press, tight-space retention. Maresca’s Man City themselves boasted a 76% ball recovery rate through pressing against Bournemouth. That tells you everything about what kind of midfielder he actually needs.
Mac Allister fits that profile almost perfectly. Last season he completed 29 tackles and 15 interceptions in the Premier League alone, created 27 chances, and showed the structural intelligence to operate either as a lone anchor or in the half-spaces. He’s genuinely two players in one.
Fernández isn’t. At the World Cup, he completed just 5 tackles across 660 minutes and was pulled at halftime repeatedly for lack of defensive cover. His passing efficiency dropped to 75% in his final Chelsea league appearance. In a Maresca backline that gets exposed badly during defensive transitions, that’s a liability City simply can’t carry.
There’s a leadership dimension too. Maresca has been open about wanting a battle-tested leader after losing Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer. Mac Allister is a Premier League champion and World Cup winner. Fernández, for all his technical quality, arrives trailing a very public Stamford Bridge fallout, refusing to acknowledge fans and visibly detached. That’s a serious cultural hazard inside a young squad still finding its footing.
Read: Arsenal and Liverpool were ready for transfer battle to sign 21-year old winger
Chelsea want between £120m and £130m for Fernández. Mac Allister offers more defensive discipline, more tactical flexibility, and a cleaner dressing room profile. The intermediaries pushing this deal aren’t wrong.
