Manchester United Targets Neco Williams for Summer Rebuild

Manchester United’s summer plan is starting to take shape – and it now stretches to a former Liverpool full-back.

Fresh from a third-place finish under Michael Carrick and with Champions League football back on the menu, United are moving aggressively in the market. The brief is clear: at least two midfielders, potentially three, a full-back and a left-winger before the window closes. The spine first, then the edges.

They are already deep into the midfield rebuild. Andrey Santos has completed his medical, signed his contract and is simply awaiting the formality of a club announcement, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. That one is done in all but name.

Ederson is more complicated.

United carried out an initial medical check in the United States and are now set to put the Atalanta midfielder through a second round of tests in England amid concerns over a previous knee injury. Romano has described the agreement as in place between all parties, with a medical scheduled in the UK and a verbal deal tied up, but stopped short of calling it fully completed. United want their own medical staff to sign it off before they tell Atalanta and the player that the move is officially on. Until then, there is a note of caution.

While those midfield pieces move towards completion, attention has swung to full-back.

Neco Williams, once of Liverpool and now a key figure at Nottingham Forest, has emerged as a live target. According to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, Manchester United and Newcastle United have both registered their interest in the right-back, even as Forest continue talks over a new contract for the Wales international.

That contact is significant. United’s need at full-back has been growing, and Williams offers Premier League experience, age on his side and the kind of athletic profile that fits a high-tempo, front-foot side. The fact he came through at Anfield only adds a twist to the story: a former Liverpool defender potentially walking out at Old Trafford in United red.

The competition is real. Newcastle are in the frame, Forest are still trying to secure his future, and United must decide how hard they want to push. But the interest is on record, and the search for a new right-back is no longer in the shadows.

United’s recruitment drive does not stop there.

In Italy, Corriere Dello Sport report that the club are weighing up a move for France international Manu Kone, currently at Roma. The midfielder is valued at €50 million, with Roma said to be open to offers that meet that figure. The stance from the Italian side is calm: no rush to sell, no need to force anything, but a clear understanding that a serious bid could change everything.

Put together, the picture is unmistakable.

Santos locked in. Ederson edging closer, pending crucial medical checks. Williams on the radar as a new right-back option. Kone monitored as another midfield reinforcement. Manchester United are not tinkering at the edges of the squad; they are trying to reshape the core and the flanks in a single window.

The question now is simple: with Champions League football as leverage and multiple deals in motion, how bold will they be when it comes to closing on Neco Williams and the rest of this ambitious rebuild?