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Liverpool are reported by multiple sources to have made a £3.5M bid for Dele Alli, MK Dons' 18-year-old midfielder. Given MK Dons play in League One, you'd be hard pressed to find a Liverpool fan who's seen the highly rated youngster play. He is, though, regarded as one of England's most promising young talents, having previously been linked to Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City.
Having made his senior debut when he was 16, last season he established himself as a regular starter for the Dons, scoring seven goals in 37 appearances. Still, if Liverpool were to land Alli, it seems likely he would be at least a year or two away from being able to make an impact at the Premier League level, and a loan—maybe even back to MK Dons—would seem likely.
At present, Alli plays as a box to box midfielder, and would be competing with current Liverpool youth products Jordan Rossiter and Pedro Chirivella for minutes were he to stay at the club. He would also be reunited with Seyi Ojo, Liverpool's 17-year-old attacking midfielder who joined from MK Dons for £1M back in 2011, when he was only 14 years of age.
"He is one of the most gifted 17-year-olds this country has ever seen," said current manager Karl Robinson of Alli in March following a standout performance against Notts County that saw him become the youngest player in England to record a hat-trick. "I've said from the word go, he's as good as it gets and he's the best young player I've ever worked with."
Dons reportedly are accepting of the fact there is little chance of them being able to hold on to Alli for very much longer, with the bigger question being who he goes to and for how much rather than whether Alli is sold. Liverpool currently appear frontrunners, though wherever he ends up, Alli's name will be one for the future and not the coming season.
