Alexis Mac Allister has opened up on his frustration at not being offered a new Liverpool contract, revealing he had genuine “options to leave” the club over the summer and admitting the decision to overlook him for fresh terms has left him “very, very sad.”
The 27-year-old Argentina international’s unhappiness stems largely from the contrast with two of his fellow midfielders. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai — both of whom arrived at Anfield in the same summer as Mac Allister, back in 2023 — have each signed new long-term contracts with Liverpool this year. No such offer has been forthcoming for Mac Allister himself, despite his significant role in the club’s Premier League title win.
Speaking to a pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, Mac Allister didn’t hold back on how that disparity has made him feel. “I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which of course makes me very, very sad,” he told reporters. “Everyone can see I give 100 percent for this football club, every single day in training, games.” He continued: “I see Dominik and Ryan renewing their contracts and that makes me very happy because they deserve it, but at the same time it makes me a little bit sad that I didn’t get mine.
Mac Allister confirmed there had been genuine interest in taking him away from Anfield during the summer transfer window, with Manchester City and Atletico Madrid among the clubs reportedly linked, and Chelsea also said to have made contact. “There was a chance [to leave in the summer], as everyone knows,” he said. Despite that interest, he chose to stay, and was clear about why: “Because this is the right club. I love being here, and this is something special. I love this club, I love being here, I love the fans. As a player, you can be at a club for a long, long time and you don’t really realise where you are — that doesn’t happen to me. I know very well that this is an amazing club, that this city has something very special and I love being here.”
Mac Allister was careful to clarify that the news of Liverpool’s stance came through his representatives rather than any direct conversation with the club. “There wasn’t any direct conversation with me, it was my agent,” he explained. “I don’t want to say things that they never said but what I got from my agent was that they were not in a position to renew me.” He’s currently on the same deal he signed upon joining from Brighton in June 2023, reported to be worth around £150,000 per week, with two years still remaining on those terms — meaning there’s no immediate contractual urgency forcing Liverpool’s hand, even if the symbolic message sent by extending Gravenberch and Szoboszlai while bypassing Mac Allister has clearly stung.
New head coach Andoni Iraola, who took over at Anfield and has so far insisted on signing only a two-year contract himself, has not held any talks with Mac Allister over a new deal, according to Sky Sports reporting — suggesting the contract standoff isn’t purely a boardroom decision but one the new management setup hasn’t yet prioritised addressing directly with the player himself.
**A Difficult Season Behind Him**
Part of the context behind Liverpool’s reluctance appears tied to Mac Allister’s own form last season, which fell below his usual standards during what was, by most assessments, a difficult defence of the Premier League title under previous manager Arne Slot — a campcampaign that ultimately ended in Slot’s dismissal and led to Iraola’s appointment. It’s worth noting, though, that Mac Allister was far from alone in underperforming during that period; Liverpool’s title defence saw the team lose 12 Premier League matches in total, meaning questions about whether his contract situation reflects a fair, isolated assessment of his individual form, or simply broader uncertainty about squad planning following a turbulent season, remain genuinely open.
There are some signs of a turnaround already visible this season. Mac Allister has started Liverpool’s last two league matches under Iraola and has, by several accounts, begun the campaign in better form than he showed for much of the previous one — a improvement that, if sustained, could yet strengthen his case for the new contract he’s publicly said he wants.
**Staying Committed Despite the Frustration**
Whatever his private disappointment, Mac Allister was emphatic in stating his commitment to Liverpool regardless of how the contract situation resolves. “Of course, there is still time, the fans don’t need to worry because I will give 100 percent until the last day I’m here,” he said. “We will see what happens but of course it makes me sad.” He added: “But I think right now I am in the right club and I have the right mindset to give my 100 per cent to the club.”
With two years still remaining on his current deal, there’s no pressing contractual deadline forcing an immediate resolution one way or the other. But Mac Allister’s public comments — unusually candid for a player still contracted and still, by his own account, fully committed to the club — put a degree of pressure on Liverpool’s hierarchy to either open genuine talks on an extension or risk a growing sense of unresolved tension with a player who has been central to the club’s recent success. Whether Iraola’s stated preference for shorter-term contracts reflects a broader philosophical shift in how Liverpool plan to manage their senior squad’s terms going forward, or simply a case of a new manager not yet having turned his attention to Mac Allister’s specific situation, is likely to become clearer as the season progresses and the player continues to press his case through performances on the pitch.