Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Man Utd to sign £55m Liverpool midfielder - top source

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen on raiding Liverpool in the summer of 2026 to bring Alexis Mac Allister to Old Trafford, according to a reliable source.

Liverpool and Man Utd are bitter and age-old rivals, and transfers between the two Premier League clubs are rare. The last time a player moved directly between Man Utd and Liverpool was back in 1964 when Phil Chisnall switched from Old Trafford to Anfield, while Michael Owen is the most recent footballer to have turned out for both clubs.

The Mirror has now claimed that Man Utd are planning an audacious raid on Liverpool for Alexis Mac Allister.

Mac Allister could leave Liverpool at the end of the season, and the Man Utd bosses are said to be keeping tabs on the situation of the Argentina international midfielder.

Man Utd will have to secure Champions League football for next season to have any chance of convincing Mac Allister to move to Old Trafford.

It also remains to be seen if Liverpool would be willing to sell the 27-year-old they signed for £55million (€63.2m, $75m) in the summer of 2023 to their bitter rivals.

‘But despite the odds being stacked against United landing Mac Allister, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to keep all of his options open, and would be interested in signing him if he became available’, claims the report in The Mirror, which has been written by the publication’s Chief Sports Writer, Jeremy Cross.

Mac Allister is under contract at Liverpool until the summer of 2028 and has scored 17 goals and given 17 assists in 132 appearances for the Reds so far in his career.

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Alexis Mac Allister more likely to join Real Madrid than Man Utd

It is hard to see Mac Allister swap Liverpool for Man Utd. Not only would that be a step-down for the 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina, but it would also mean damaging his relationship with the Anfield faithful.

A move to Real Madrid is more likely than Mac Allister, with the Spanish and European giants keen on a 2026 summer deal for him.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Carlo Ancelotti asked Madrid to sign Mac Allister when he was in charge of Los Blancos.

The report claimed that a deal for Mac Allister is ‘more feasible’ for Madrid than a transfer for Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain star Vitinha.

In September 2025, our transfer insider, Dean Jones, told us that Real Madrid have ‘genuine’ interest in Mac Allister.

Mac Allister has also previously suggested that a move to LaLiga would appeal to him.

The former Brighton star said: “Yes, why not?

“It’s a country I like a lot and I’ve visited it several times, and, above all, because of the language and the culture, it’s very similar to Argentina. I would definitely like to play in Spain one day.

“But right now, I’m very comfortable at Liverpool and I don’t think about what might happen in the future.”

Latest Man Utd and Liverpool transfer news

Staying on the Man Utd and Liverpool transfer theme, sources have told our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, that the Merseyside outfit are the ‘most advanced’ Premier League club in the race for a Bundesliga gem.

Real Madrid are said to have made contact with Liverpool and have proposed an outrageous swap deal.

Our transfer insider, Dean Jones, has reported that Man Utd are planning to raid Middlesbrough in the summer of 2026 for one of their best players.

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