Neco Williams Set for Manchester United Move – Liverpool Monitoring Situation

Neco Williams has never been shy about backing himself. Leaving Liverpool in 2022 to play every week for Nottingham Forest was a bold call. Two years on, he is again standing at a crossroads – and this one has Old Trafford written all over it.

According to BBC Sport, Manchester United have formally registered their interest in the Forest full-back and are tracking his situation as the summer window gathers pace. Forest, for their part, are locked in talks over a new contract and are said to be confident he will stay. That confidence is now under serious strain.

United calling – and Carrick the draw

TEAMtalk report that Williams is ready to join United in this window and is particularly attracted by the prospect of working under Michael Carrick. For a player who came through Liverpool’s academy and grew up in a club that treats United as the ultimate rival, that is no small shift.

Sources close to the Wales international are said to be clear: a move to Manchester United appeals more than any other option on the table. Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have both registered interest, but United sit at the top of his list.

At 25, Williams is entering what should be the sharpest years of his career. He has spent the last two seasons primarily at left-back for Forest, while still offering cover on the right. That versatility, coupled with his energy and aggression in both directions, makes him an obvious fit for a United side being rebuilt with younger, more dynamic profiles.

The snag? No club has yet made a formal approach. For now, it is pressure, not bids, that is building.

Forest dig in as a “bigger club” beckons

Forest have no intention of losing him cheaply or easily. Williams is under contract at the City Ground until the summer of 2029, a position of strength that allows the Tricky Trees to demand a substantial fee for one of their most valuable assets.

The club are in talks over a new deal that would include a pay rise, a clear attempt to reward his importance and shut down the noise. Yet the same report makes it plain: Williams is open to “testing himself at a bigger club, particularly Manchester United”.

That line will sting at Forest, who took a calculated gamble in 2022 when they paid Liverpool a package worth £17.5m, add-ons included, to bring him in. It has largely paid off on the pitch. Off it, they now face the familiar Premier League dilemma – dig in and risk an unsettled player, or cash in at the peak of his value.

Liverpool’s quiet interest in the background

Liverpool are not in this race as buyers, but they are very much in the story. When Williams left Anfield, Fabrizio Romano revealed the Reds had inserted a 15% sell-on clause into the deal with Forest. Any significant fee now would send money back to Merseyside.

Williams made 33 senior appearances for Liverpool, scoring six goals, and was widely regarded as one of the more polished products of their academy in recent years. They could not promise him the starts he wanted. Forest could. Now United might.

If Forest hold out for a sizeable sum – and with that long contract they are well within their rights – Liverpool stand to benefit handsomely from a move that would see one of their own line up in the colours of their fiercest rivals.

United’s new era, new profiles

INEOS have not waited long to show their hand at Old Trafford. United have already brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a £50m deal, adding a powerful, progressive midfielder to the squad. They have also triggered the £35m release clause in Youri Tielemans’s Aston Villa contract, another sign of a clear, targeted recruitment drive.

Williams fits that pattern: mid-20s, Premier League proven, technically sound, tactically flexible. A player who can come straight into the team, yet still improve and hold resale value.

Newcastle and Tottenham will not back away easily – both need full-backs who can handle the modern demands of the position – but the pull of United, the scale of the project under new ownership, and the chance to work under Carrick give Old Trafford a powerful edge.

Forest will fight. Williams seems ready for the next step. Liverpool, quietly, will count the numbers.

Now the question is simple: who blinks first – the club that wants to keep him, or the one that believes he can help define a new era?