Liverpool have been offered three Real Madrid players in order to lower the cost of a deal for Alexis Mac Allister, according to reports.

The Reds signed Mac Allister from Brighton in a deal worth £35m in June 2023, just six months after he won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina.

Mac Allister signed a five-year deal at Anfield and won the Premier League in his second season at the club under Dutch head coach Arne Slot.

However, Mac Allister, and several of his Liverpool team-mates, were heavily criticised last term for dropping their performance levels as the Reds fell miles short of retaining their title under Slot, who was sacked at the end of the season.

And Mac Allister is now into his final two years of his contract at Anfield but was told recently that Liverpool are “not in a position” to offer him a new deal.

When asked if he could have left in the summer, Mac Allister replied: “There was a chance, as I think everyone knows.

“I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which makes me very, very sad.”

On not getting a new contract, he continued: “It’s really sad. We won a Premier League title together. We went through difficult times together. We will see what happens.

“Of course there is still time, the fans don’t need to worry I will give 100% until my last day.

“There was options to leave this summer, right now I am in the right club.”

He added: “I love this club. I love being here, I love the fans.

“As a player, it sometimes happens that you’re at a club for a long long time and you don’t 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 of course I love being here.”

A report in Sky Switzerland insisted earlier this week that Mac Allister now ‘sees his future unfolding away from Liverpool’ after the Reds’ hesitancy over a new deal.

However, another report from Middle Eastern outlet WinWin a day later revealed that Liverpool are now keen to perform a U-turn and offer the Argentina international a new deal.

Real Madrid ‘explore’ deal for Mac Allister as they offer three players to Liverpool

But, just to complicate matters, Real Madrid are now reportedly looking to do a deal with Liverpool to land the Argentinian midfielder in 2027.

A report in El Intransigente insists that the La Liga giants are ‘exploring a way’ for them to acquire Mac Allister from Liverpool by ‘including players in the deal to reduce the transfer fee’.

The outlet makes it clear that the ‘strategy is still under evaluation and does not involve a formal offer’ just yet with Brahim Diaz the first of three names mentioned as potential makeweights in a deal.

El Intransigente adds: ‘Trent Alexander-Arnold has emerged as another possibility. The right-back arrived at Real Madrid after a long spell at Liverpool and was one of the key players for the English side at Anfield. His potential signing would have a particular significance due to his history, in addition to the sporting and financial value that both clubs would have to assess. The transfer would depend on these conditions being acceptable to both institutions.

‘The third name is Eduardo Camavinga , a French midfielder capable of playing in various positions in the center of the field. His profile differs from Mac Allister’s , although he can play in a similar area, making him an alternative to strengthen the midfield with different characteristics. Camavinga is among the options mentioned for a possible swap, but his departure has not yet been agreed upon.’