Liverpool looks to keep Mac Allister, Alisson despite contract timelines

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has moved to end speculation surrounding the futures of Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson by stating he wants both players to remain at Anfield. The comments were made during a news conference in Chicago as the club began its pre-season tour of the United States.

Mac Allister, 27, has two years remaining on the five-year contract he signed when he joined in 2023. The lack of extension talks has generated summer transfer speculation, but Iraola framed the interest as a standard market dynamic, saying: "I think Alexis has been one of the best players at the club for the last few years, and he has had a very good World Cup, so it is normal that other clubs want our best players. It always happens in other markets. But I want to keep my good players. I'm looking forward more to signing new players rather than losing the ones we have here."

Alisson presents a more immediate contractual issue, with the 33-year-old Brazilian entering the final year of his deal and being linked with Juventus. However, Iraola indicated the club will rely on his experience to stabilise a changing room that has lost veteran voices. "I'm very happy with the situation we have right now in the goalkeeping area," explained the Reds boss.

"Alisson is someone also in a changing room that has lost some references in terms of experience, I think he's someone that definitely will help us in this process of adaptation of the new signings, of the new players, the young players. We need the references like Virgil [van Dijk], like Alisson, like Joe Gomez, players that have been here for a long time."

While prioritising retention, Iraola acknowledged the squad requires immediate investment in defensive reinforcements. The need is most acute at right-back, where Conor Bradley is expected to be out for months following a knee injury sustained in January.

The Northern Ireland international's absence leaves the club short on depth ahead of the new campaign. "At the end, if you have a fully fit, healthy Conor Bradley, we are very happy, ready to go and we would not be asking ourselves these questions," explained the Spaniard. "I think it's a situation that is tricky, because we trust Conor in the long term, we know we want him to be our right-back but right now he is still, I would say, a little bit far from returning. So, with the centre-back, with the right-back situation, in terms of defensive depth, we are, I think, very thin right now so I think it's a solution that we are trying to find, yes."