Chelsea have reportedly cooled their interest in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister during this summer's transfer window.
The Argentinian World Cup winner is expected to bid farewell to his Seagulls teammates in a few months' time as a multitude of Champions League-chasing clubs vie for his signature.
Mac Allister's father has admitted that his son will likely leave the Amex ahead of the 2023-24 season, and Brighton have apparently set an asking price of between £60m and £70m.
Chelsea are believed to have been one of the interested parties, while Liverpool have also been strongly linked with a swoop for the 24-year-old.
In recent days, it has been reported that Liverpool are yet to open talks over a move for Mac Allister, potentially offering Chelsea hope in their efforts to poach him from the Amex Stadium.
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However, football.london claims that Chelsea have now taken a step back, despite being left "very impressed" with Mac Allister's development on the South Coast this season.
Mac Allister is believed to be pining for a move to a top four-challenging team, and Liverpool are now thought to be in pole position to prise him away from Brighton.
The Argentina international plied his trade as a youth player with Argentinos Juniors before being scouted by Brighton in 2019, joining for a mere £7m four years ago.
Following a brief loan spell to Boca Juniors in the first half of the 2019-20 season, Mac Allister has developed into one of Roberto De Zerbi's star performers with 12 goals and two assists from 35 matches in all tournaments this season.
Ten of Mac Allister's 12 goals this term have come in the Premier League, making him the Seagulls' top scorer in the league this season as they occupy the seventh and final European spot in the table with five games remaining.
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The 24-year-old was also an integral part of Argentina's World Cup-winning squad and has a total of 20 goals and eight assists to show from 107 games in a Brighton shirt, with his most recent strike coming from the penalty spot in last weekend's 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Chelsea are likely to lose a number of lynchpins in the upcoming window, namely Mason Mount, who is out of contract next summer and is also believed to be on the radar of Liverpool.
Negotiations to extend Mount's stay in West London are yet to bear fruit, and the Blues could be forced into a sale this summer rather than risk losing him for free in 2024, but they are still believed to be holding out for a £70m fee.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher are also expected to head for the exit door, while Mateo Kovacic's long-term future is also uncertain, and N'Golo Kante has still not signed an extension beyond the end of June.
Chelsea could win back-to-back games under Frank Lampard for the first time since his return to the dugout when they welcome relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Ben Knapton
