LONDON: Liverpool have signed World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion on a long-term contract, the Premier League club said on Thursday as they rebuild for next season after a difficult campaign.

Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed but British media reported that the fee for the Argentine midfielder was 55 million pounds ($68.51 million).

“It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true, it’s amazing to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” Mac Allister, 24, said in a statement.

“I wanted to be in (from) the first day of pre-season, so it’s good that everything is done. I’m looking forward to meeting my team-mates.”

Mac Allister will wear the number 10 shirt worn with distinction by past Liverpool stars Sadio Mane, John Barnes and Michael Owen.

“We are adding a very talented, very smart, very technically skilled boy to our squad and this is super news, really it is,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.

“I do not think the football world needs me to say too much about Alexis’s qualities because they are already pretty well known.

“But it is clear that he is someone who can play in a number of positions in the midfield and is an all-rounder, I would say. He is calm and composed and someone with proper game intelligence.”

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2023