Manchester United Pursues Neco Williams in Rebuild

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

Fresh from a third-place finish under Michael Carrick and with Champions League football back on the menu, United are pushing ahead with an aggressive rebuild. The brief is clear: at least two midfielders, possibly three, a full-back and a left-winger before the window shuts. The recruitment drive is not tentative. It is targeted.

Midfield overhaul almost in place

The engine room is being rebuilt first. Andrey Santos is effectively done. The Chelsea midfielder has completed his medical, signed his contract and is simply waiting for the club to make it official. Fabrizio Romano has already called it, confirming on X that Santos has put pen to paper as a new Manchester United player, with only the statement to follow.

Ederson is more complicated. United have long had an agreement in place with Atalanta and the player, but the final green light still hangs on medical checks. The Brazilian has already been examined in the US; now United want their own staff in England to go over his knee in greater detail.

Romano explained on his YouTube channel that Ederson will undergo that second medical in the UK this week. The structure of the deal is agreed, the player is in, the clubs are aligned – but the move is not yet officially closed. United will complete the tests, then report back to Atalanta and Ederson before deciding whether to sign off. Until then, the transfer sits in that uneasy space between “here we go” and “not quite yet”.

United move for Neco Williams

While the midfield puzzle edges towards completion, United have widened the lens to their back line. The search for a new full-back has led them to an intriguing, and for some, provocative name: Neco Williams.

According to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, Manchester United have registered their interest in the Nottingham Forest right-back and have made contact over a potential move. Newcastle United are also in the frame, with Williams’ talks over a new contract at Forest running alongside external enquiries.

For United, it is a move that ticks several boxes. Premier League proven. Attacking intent from deep. Age profile that fits a squad being reshaped for the medium term, not just the next nine months. The added twist, of course, is his Liverpool past. If United decide to push, they would be trying to prise away a player developed at Anfield and currently central to Forest’s plans.

Forest, for now, are negotiating from a position of relative calm. Williams is under contract, discussions over fresh terms continue, and there is no immediate pressure to sell. But interest from clubs with Champions League football and serious financial muscle has a way of changing the temperature.

Kone on the radar as midfield search widens

United’s midfield work does not stop with Santos and Ederson. In Italy, Corriere Dello Sport report that the club are weighing up a move for France international Manu Kone, currently at Roma.

The Frenchman has been identified as one of the more attractive options on the market, with Roma valuing him at around €50 million. The stance from the Serie A side is measured: they are open to significant offers that meet their asking price, but under no pressure to cash in quickly or hold a fire sale.

For United, Kone represents another potential piece in a deep rebuild of the centre of the pitch – a unit that has too often looked short of legs, balance and reliability. With Santos close, Ederson under detailed medical scrutiny and Kone monitored, Carrick could soon have a completely different set of tools in the middle.

A squad on the brink of major change

All of it feeds into a broader picture at Old Trafford. Third place last season has not lulled anyone into complacency. Champions League qualification has instead been treated as leverage – a chance to attract a higher calibre of player and accelerate a reset that has been delayed too often in the past.

A right-back like Williams. Multiple midfielders, including Santos and potentially Ederson and Kone. A left-winger still to come. United are not tinkering around the edges; they are trying to redraw the spine and the flanks in one window.

The next few weeks will show whether this plan holds under the pressure of medicals, negotiations and rival interest. But if United do walk into the new season with a rebuilt midfield and a former Liverpool defender charging up the right at Old Trafford, the tone of the Carrick era will be unmistakable: no sentiment, no hesitation, and no fear of making bold, divisive calls in pursuit of a team built to last.