Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has warned Argentina World Cup star and Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister against joining Chelsea in January.

The 24 year old midfielder played a key role for Argentina as the South American nation won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Juventus are all reportedly interested in signing the midfielder this January but De Zerbi believes a move in the current transfer window could cause ‘problems’ for him.

“I am happy if he wants to stay with us until the end of the season and I think it is better for him,” De Zerbi said in a press conference.

“For us, for sure, but also for him because in this moment changing team in January can be a problem for him. For us, but also for him.”

Brighton CEO Paul Barber has claimed Mac Allister has been attracting interest even before the World Cup.

Barber told talkSPORT: “We felt Alexis has been performing really well all season. He’s been growing into the Premier League.

“We were confident in his ability and his character. He’s a really calm presence, a nice lad off the pitch and a very, very good footballer.

“I think when players do well, when their profile increases, there’s always interest. There was interest before the World Cup, and I’m sure there will be even more afterwards.

“We were working on a new contact in the build up to the World Cup. We met Alexis’ father several times.

“All you can do in situations where you’ve got a great asset is to try and protect yourself as best as possible. We hope Alexis will continue to play with us for some time to come.”