Liverpool are ‘not in any rush’ to hand Alexis Mac Allister a new deal even though he is currently their ‘best’ and ‘most in-form player’, a journalist has revealed.

Mac Allister’s form dropped significantly last season as Liverpool failed to defend their Premier League title, falling down to fifth in the table. The midfielder’s current contract runs until June 2028, and he will be 29 years old by the time it expires.

Mac Allister’s poor performances last term gave Liverpool serious concerns about offering him extended terms.

The Argentine has had to watch fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai sign new contracts.

In September, Mac Allister admitted he was ‘very sad’ not to have been offered a fresh deal by the club.

But the player has used those feelings as motivation to get back to his brilliant best, and he scored twice to help Liverpool complete a 4-3 comeback win against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Reacting to that game, The Telegraph’s Merseyside football correspondent, Dominic King, wrote that Mac Allister had gone from the ‘brink of [an] exit’ to ‘Liverpool’s best player’.

King added: ‘Mac Allister (along with Rio Ngumoha) was the catalyst for a marvellous turnaround, confirming he is the linchpin in this midfield.

‘Who would have thought that would be the case? There would not have been too many objections at the end of last season if Mac Allister had been offloaded to bring in some transfer revenue but now it is implausible that he could ever be sold, even if he only has 18 months left on his deal.

‘Mac Allister has been in this wild autumn everything Liverpool knew he could be, a tenacious tempo-setter with a subtle range of passing and the priceless ability to arrive at the right time to score goals. Nobody in this squad loves Champions League nights at Anfield more than him.

‘He has scored eight goals in this competition for Liverpool, all of them coming on Merseyside (including a winner against Real Madrid last season), but this double felt like an interjection that showed you how important he can be for Iraola.’

Mac Allister still not in line for new contract

After suggesting Mac Allister played with a ‘chip on his shoulder’ last season, King continued: ‘Mac Allister, along with Jérémy Jacquet, has been the most consistent player in Liverpool’s squad (Cody Gakpo would have been included were it not for injury).’

King went on to reveal Liverpool’s latest stance over Mac Allister’s future. ‘Liverpool are not in any rush to start talking about new contracts with Mac Allister, who they were able to sign on a cut-price £35m deal in June 2023, but if he keeps playing with this zip, he can change that situation too,’ he stated.

It is understandable that Liverpool are worried about the 27-year-old potentially declining given how he performed last term, but they will almost certainly have to engage in contract talks if he continues to be a crucial player – and match-winner – for Andoni Iraola.

Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid have all been linked with Mac Allister, though Liverpool will surely not let any such transfer happen.