Neco Williams Eyes Manchester United Move
Neco Williams is ready to test himself on a bigger stage – and his eyes, according to fresh reports, are fixed firmly on Old Trafford.
The Nottingham Forest full-back, a Liverpool academy graduate with deep roots on Merseyside, is understood to be keen on a move to Manchester United this summer, a twist that would suit his former club as much as it might reshape his current one.
United circle as Williams pushes for step up
BBC Sport revealed on July 9 that United had registered their interest in Williams, opening the door to a possible deal in this window. Those initial lines painted a familiar picture: a club monitoring a player, a player in talks with his current employers about a new contract, and Forest projecting confidence that he would stay put.
That tone has shifted.
TEAMtalk now report that Williams is ready to join United if the opportunity arises. Sources close to the player are said to have made it clear that a move to Manchester United holds particular appeal, despite his long association with Liverpool, where he came through the academy and broke into the first team.
At 25, with two full Premier League seasons at Forest behind him, the Wales international appears to see this as the right moment to climb. He has operated primarily at left-back for Forest over the past two campaigns, but his background as a right-back only adds to his value in a market where tactical flexibility is currency.
He is described as “keen on moving amid interest from the two Premier League clubs” already linked and “open to testing himself at a bigger club, particularly Manchester United.” For now, though, there is a crucial caveat: no formal offers have landed on Forest’s desk.
Forest hold firm as competition builds
Forest, for their part, are not acting like a club resigned to losing a key defender. They are in active talks with Williams over a new contract that would include a pay rise, underlining how central he has become to their plans.
Newcastle United have also been credited with interest, adding another ambitious suitor to the mix. Tottenham Hotspur are in the frame as well, monitoring the situation as they look to strengthen their options at full-back. Three clubs with European ambitions, one defender entering his prime, and a selling club in no rush: the ingredients for a drawn-out summer negotiation are all there.
Williams is under contract at the City Ground until 2029. That long deal hands Forest significant leverage. Any club wanting to prise him away will have to pay a substantial fee, and Forest know it.
Liverpool’s quiet stake in the saga
Liverpool, though no longer in control of Williams’ future, have a very real interest in how this plays out.
When they sold him to Forest in the summer of 2022, Fabrizio Romano reported that the deal totalled £17.5m including add-ons and, crucially, that Liverpool inserted a 15% sell-on clause. Any sizeable transfer now would send a healthy slice back to Anfield.
Williams made 33 senior appearances for Liverpool, scoring six goals, before leaving in search of regular football. A move to United – of all clubs – would be a sharp twist in that story, but financially it would still reward the decision Liverpool made two years ago.
INEOS reshape United – and the defence next?
United’s interest in Williams comes as the club’s new co-owners, INEOS, begin to put their stamp on the squad.
They have already moved decisively in midfield. Andrey Santos has arrived from Chelsea in a £50m deal, while United have also triggered the £35m release clause in Youri Tielemans’ contract at Aston Villa. Those transfers signal a willingness to act quickly and pay significant fees when they identify the right profile.
A versatile, Premier League-proven full-back in his mid-20s fits that profile neatly. Williams offers energy on both flanks, international experience with Wales, and the resilience of a player who has fought his way from academy prospect to top-flight regular.
Forest want him to stay. Newcastle and Tottenham are lurking. Liverpool stand to profit quietly in the background. United, backed by INEOS and reshaping under Michael Carrick’s leadership, are weighing up their next move.
If they decide Williams is the man to patrol their flanks for the next phase of this rebuild, how high will Forest push the price – and how far are United prepared to go?
