Liverpool have set a starting price of €70m if Real Madrid want to sign Alexis Mac Allister in January, according to reports.

The Reds signed the Argentina intenational for £35m from Brighton in the summer of 2023 after Mac Allister helped his country win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar six months earlier.

After signing a five-year deal, Mac Allister helped Liverpool win the Premier League title in his second season at Anfield under Arne Slot.

However, Mac Allister and several other Liverpool players came in for heavy criticism last season as they dipped well below the standards set the in the previous campaign.

Mac Allister has been back in good form under Andoni Iraola this term but recently revealed that Liverpool are currently refusing to offer him fresh terms despite entering the final two years of his contract.

In his latest interview on the subject, Mac Allister told Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul: “First of all, obviously, I feel that affection from the fans, and that’s something incredible for me.

“It’s not easy at a club like Liverpool to be appreciated the way I am. I enjoy it a lot, and obviously winning a Premier League title with this club is something very special, something the fans don’t forget.

“Obviously, we’re in a situation where I have a year-and-a-half left on my contract, and last season I was told that the club’s idea was not to renew it, at least for now. And obviously, that was a painful, unpleasant situation.”

On Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai being given contract extensions after Liverpool had refused to renew his deal, Mac Allister added: “Not that much, because at the end of the day, I still had, and still have, time left at this club, which is what I want most – to stay here.

“The reality is that the manager has now changed, the sporting director has changed, and new investors are coming into the club. So I think I’m now in a position where anything can happen.

“We’ll see what happens in the future. I’ve always said that I’m very happy here, that I really enjoy it, and we’ll see.”

€70m is ‘the minimum’ Liverpool will ask for Mac Allister in January

And now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Real Madrid ‘already knows exactly what their first offer should be to begin negotiations with Liverpool’.

The report adds: ‘At the Santiago Bernabéu offices, they are fully aware that the English club will not offer any discounts on the initial fee. Although the Argentine player’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is calculated at €61.9 million, the Merseyside club has set €70 million as the minimum and non-negotiable threshold that justifies initiating a transfer mid-season.

‘The English club plans to restructure its midfield by adding a new, high-flying central midfielder next year and intends to finance this rebuild by demanding an initial sum from Real Madrid. If the Spanish giants fail to meet this financial threshold with their first formal offer, Liverpool will tell any suitors to wait for later transfer windows.’