Argentina star's impressive World Cup raises concern from his club

• Brighton and Hove Albion will struggle keep Alexis Mac Allister after his World Cup triumph
• Mac Allister was part of the 26-man Argentina squad who made history against France
• The 23-year-old also came up with an assist for Angel Di Maria in the final

It is going to prove difficult to retain the services of Argentine superstar Alexis Mac Allister at Brighton, one of the club’s heads has admitted.

Mac Allister, 23, was one of the shining stars at the World Cup as he helped Argentina to global glory thanks to some solid performances.

He has since been given a two-week holiday by Brighton, with the club growing increasingly concerned that they may not be able to keep him with European big guns hovering.

Currently, he is back in his homeland and was part of the parade of players that was received by millions of fans in Buenos Aries.

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According to Brighton chief executive Paul Barber, keeping Mac Allister will prove to be a tall order, especially with the January transfer window coming up.

"He will be sought after, we're very aware of that, but we hope to keep him here as long as we can," He told BBC sport.

"Of course, when staff and players do well, as we've seen in the last few months, they do attract the interest of other big clubs.

"These are clubs that are wealthier and have the chance to give players a new level, we understand that and we're not naive to that.

The midfielder was on the scoresheet as Argentine bounced back from an opening day defeat to beat Mexico 2-0.

He has since had some extremely impressive performances, including in the final where he set up Di Maria’s goal which put his side 2-0 up against France.

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Barber is hoping the club can try to “protect itself” by tying down the midfielder with a contract in the hopes that a proper bid will arrive from a big club.

Meanwhile, Brighton is doing impressively in the league, as they sit seventh with 21 points from 14 matches.

Chelsea identify Gvardiol alternative

In other transfer rumors, Sports Brief reported on how Chelsea have reportedly identified yet another breakout star at the World Cup, in case they miss out on signing Josko Gvardiol.

The club’s possible alternative is Piero Martín Hincapié, who plies his trade with German outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite being only 20, Hincapié impressed for Ecuador at the World Cup despite his nation’s group stage exit from the competition.

The one advantage Hincapié could have over Gvardiol is that he could be available for as little as £34m.