Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has revealed he is set to become a father for the first time.
The Reds midfielder took to Instagram to announce his amazing baby news alongside his girlfriend Ailen Cova on Thursday.
The couple shared a video of themselves telling friends about their news, as well as Cova undergoing a baby scan.
Mac Allister could not contain his excitement as he wrote on Instagram: ‘I love them with all my heart’, while Cova added ‘We wish and love you with all our heart. See you soon little one’.
The news comes after Mac Allister was accused of dumping his model ex-girlfriend to start a relationship with Cova shortly after winning the World Cup with Argentina in December 2022.
Mac Allister broke up with Camila Mayan – who was also a close friend of Cova’s – just days after his nation’s triumph in Qatar.
Mayan sued Mac Allister after their five-year relationship ended as she made a compensation claim for ‘living abroad with him’.
Mac Allister addressed the lawsuit in November, insisting it was a matter of waiting patiently to discover the court’s verdict.
Speaking from his car as he left a restaurant, Mac Allister said: ‘There was no more relationship.
‘She took her path, I took mine, and that’s it. As for the other thing (the lawsuit), everything is in court, where it should be, and we are waiting.’
Mayan, who boasts more than 740,000 followers on Instagram and 900,000 on TikTok, wants compensation for the years they lived abroad as a couple and is also accusing the footballer of being unfaithful with current partner Cova, as well as keeping her belongings.
Mac Allister added: ‘I think it’s normal in a relationship; she made the decision to come out and make public things that she felt or that she believes happened, but I know how things went and that’s why I’m very calm.’
But Mayan’s lawyer Ignacio Trimarco rubbished the footballer’s claims that his client was attempting to publicise aspects of their separation and even suggested it came from Mac Allister’s end.
He said: ‘The mediation is closed, but there was no agreement. The lawsuit has been filed for some time and the case started more than a year and a half ago.
‘From our side nothing was said; it became known from the other side because Camila does not want to publicise this situation. What she asks for is confidential like any family case, but it is financial compensation.
‘In this case [the amount requested by Mayan] will be determined by a judge based on the evidence presented.
‘There is controversy with this law, but it is a law that has been passed by Congress and applies to all couples, whether they are with an idol like a world champion, or a businessman with business outside the country.
‘This law has to do with protecting the weakest part of a couple that has not formalised a marriage.
‘It is a law that applies and is in force and applies to anyone who has lived together for more than two years in a public, notorious and peaceful manner. Moreover, the claim has to be initiated within 6 months of the end of the relationship.’
Meanwhile, Mac Allister and Cova appear to have gone from strength to strength in their relationship and are now set to become parents.
Cova joined Mac Allister on the pitch at Anfield after Jurgen Klopp’s final game at the end of last season.
She also celebrated with Mac Allister after Argentina won the Copa America last year.
The couple shared a kiss as they both held the trophy, and then posed for more photos together on the plane home.
Mac Allister is currently away on international duty again, with Argentina due to play Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier tonight. They will then face arch-rivals Brazil next Tuesday.
Argentina are top of their qualifying group after picking up 25 points from their opening 12 matches.