Alexis Mac Allister's father Carlos has lifted the lid on how his $45m (£35m/€42m) transfer move from Brighton to Liverpool unfolded — and what convinced his son to choose Anfield over a host of other options.

Off the back of a successful spell on the south coast, Mac Allister drew interest from Manchester City, Chelsea and others. But his first choice was Liverpool, who took advantage of his modest release clause to get the deal over the line.

"When he was about to play in Qatar [the 2022 World Cup], we sat down with Brighton and negotiated a good release clause so that he could deliver a good performance and go to a bigger team, which he did," Carlos Mac Allister told RG.

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"We chose Liverpool because Jurgen Klopp wanted him a lot, and they were going through a rebuild. Klopp fell in love with him and gave him a lot of opportunities, which he did not waste.

"He delivered a fantastic World Cup and a very good Copa America and has shown unique attributes. People mostly talk about Alexis' offensive abilities, but he also has the seventh-most recoveries in the Premier League. There are many footballers who attack well, many who defend well, but there aren’t many like Alexis who attack and defend well."

Since Arne Slot arrived at Anfield, Mac Allister's role has become no less important. The Argentine has kept his place in the Liverpool starting XI, and he remains a key man in the new era.

"He was perhaps a bit more defensive under Klopp," Mac Allister senior continued. "But the difference is that, as you achieve more success, you become more confident. And as you are having success, and you are having confidence, you are increasingly encouraged to do more things, right? And that is what I see.

"When you’re worried about not making mistakes, you probably won’t be doing amazing things. When you’re daring enough to shoot from distance or make that precise pass, you can shine. Alexis is encouraged to do more difficult things and is proving to be an outstanding footballer, and he’s showing that he still has room for growth."

Alongside Lionel Messi, Mac Allister won the World Cup before signing for Liverpool. He played a big role for his country in the triumph, too, which left his father very proud.

"It was very special for me," he said. "Alexis didn’t play a single minute in the first match, which Argentina lost, but then he did very well in the second game and started improving. To see all the newspapers in the world talk about him as one of the revelations of the tournament was incredible. I’m a calm person who tries to stay objective and rational, but I got very emotional."