Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is "very sad" that he has not been offered a new contract and admitted he had "options to leave" in the summer.
The 27-year-old confirmed he has two years left on his Reds deal, which he signed when he joined the club in the summer of 2023.
The Argentina international's unhappiness comes after fellow midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch penned new long-term contracts this year.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool's Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, Mac Allister told a pre-match press conference: "There was a chance [he could have left the club in the summer].
"As everyone knows, I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which makes me very, very sad.
"Everyone can see I give my 100 per cent for this football club, every single day in training and games. Of course I can have very good games, very bad games like everyone. I always give my best.
"And I see Dominik and Ryan renewing their contracts, and that makes me very happy because they deserve it, but at the same time it makes me a little bit sad that I didn't get mine.
"Of course, there is still time. The fans don't need to worry because I will give my 100 per cent until the last day I'm here.
"We will see what happens. There were options to leave this summer, and I think right now I'm in the right club and I have the mindset to give my 100 per cent for this club."
Questioned whether talks were ongoing over a new contract, he replied: "Maybe. I don't know. It's going to depend on how I perform during this year. They are right to make the decision as well, but hopefully they change their minds."
Asked whether he was given a reason for no new contract, he said: "Not really. There wasn't any direct conversation with me - it was with my agent.
"I don't want to say things they never said, but what I got from my agent was that they were not in a position to renew me.
"It's really sad because we won a Premier League together, we've been through difficult times together, and I always give my best. We will see what happens, but of course it makes me a little bit sad."
Mac Allister was linked with a move to Manchester City this summer.
Questioned on why he did not leave Anfield, he replied: "Because this is the right club. I love being here, and this is something special."
He added: "I love this club, I love being here, I love the fans.
"As a player, you can be at a club for a long, long time and you don't really realise where you are - that doesn't happen to me.
"I know very well that this is an amazing club, that this city has something very special and I love being here."
Mac Allister has started in Liverpool's last two league games, which saw them draw at home to Nottingham Forest and then win at Ipswich to help give new Reds boss Andoni Iraola an unbeaten start.
But Mac Allister revealed he has not spoken about his future with the Spaniard, whom he had plenty of praise for.
"Definitely since I've come to pre-season and I worked under Andoni, I could see something special," he said.
"He's a really good coach. He knows very well what he wants to do, and we are trying to get there.
"I haven't had any conversations with him about it.
"When I see the way he wants us to play and train, I think this can be a successful season so that's why I think this is the right club and the right moment to be here."
Iraola called Mac Allister an "important" player and says there is still time for his contract situation to be resolved.
He told a press conference: "We all have personal situations with different contracts. The important thing is he wants to be here and continue here.
"We haven't been together a long time but he has been an important player and I rate him very highly.
"Definitely there is still a lot of time to talk about those contract situations."
He added: "I am very happy with his performances - he played really well on Friday [at Ipswich] and I hope I can help him to still improve.
"He is very experienced player who has already achieved massive things, but I hope I can help him in his development as a player and then everything goes well then those problems will definitely be solved".
Mac Allister was a key part of Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League title, having also won the Carabao Cup the season before.
Asked whether he has anything to prove this season amid doubts over a new deal, the 2022 World Cup winner replied: "Not really because I'm always the same guy and player, and I'm not going to change.
"I think in these three years at the club I've done very good things. We went through difficult times; we went through a lot of things. We won a Premier League, we won a Carabao Cup, so for me it's a very successful period of my life.
"I don't think I have to prove something, but of course I have to show the level that I can perform, and hopefully that's the case."
Your Site' Adam Smith:
Mac Allister's overall quality ratings have dipped season on season since he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2023, according to data provider .
Gradient rates each metric according to the quality of a player's actions, rather than simply the quantity of them.
In terms of quantity, per 90 minutes, Opta data also points to a decline in Mac Allister's output. Ratings out of 100 show his percentile rank among midfielders across Europe's top five leagues.
The most striking change has been in his defensive output. Mac Allister has gone from ranking among Europe's elite midfielders in several defensive metrics to sitting towards the bottom of that group.
Analysis from Your Site News' Vinny O'Connor:
"No scapegoating, no talk of anyone being thrown under the bus - just genuine upset that he's the odd one out.
"Alexis Mac Allister is the only one of Liverpool's 'first-choice' title-winning midfield trio from 2025 to be told the club is not in a position to offer new terms.
In the last six months, Ryan Gravenberch has signed up until 2032 while Dominik Szoboszlai has committed until 2031.
"Mac Allister says he's happy for them, they deserve it, but, reading between the lines, he's asking the question as to why is there nothing on the table for him?
"There's an irony that he was speaking before facing Atletico Madrid, one of the sides he's been linked with. There was also talk during the summer window of interest from Manchester City.
"He freely admitted he could have gone. There were opportunities. But, he stayed because Liverpool, in his mind, remains the right club for him and one that he is fully committed to, whatever the contract situation.
"Last season wasn't his best and there is an argument to say there is a sensibility about the decision taken on football reasons.
"So is this the beginning of the end of his time at Anfield?
"Not necessarily. In his manager's words: "There is still a lot of time to talk about these contract situations."
"Mac Allister's own take is that things can change, along with an admission he has to show the level at which he can perform.
"That is not necessarily a bad thing for Iraola, having a player of Mac Allister's quality with the added motivation of proving his worth.
"And, just as the tone was different to Mo Salah at Leeds last season - even if the openness with which Mac Allister spoke was no less surprising - it feels a similar outcome is far from set in stone at this stage.
"Yes, there was surprise in the room, but maybe we're not in for another drawn out transfer saga."
