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Under Michael Carrick, Manchester United are moving aggressively in the market.
They have agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea for Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, structured as £48m up front plus £2m in achievable add-ons, while the Blues have retained a 10% sell‑on clause.
At the same time, United have struck a deal with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Ederson, with the player set to sign a long-term contract once he completes his medical.
Ederson is a name Liverpool fans know well, having been linked as a possible target back in 2024.
Now their attention has turned to Neco Williams, the Liverpool academy graduate who joined Nottingham Forest in 2022.
At the time, Forest agreed a fee in the region of £17–18m with Liverpool for the Wales international.
Fabrizio Romano revealed that Liverpool inserted a 15% sell‑on clause into that deal, guaranteeing a slice of any future transfer profit Forest make on Williams
That clause is suddenly very relevant.
The BBC reports that Nottingham Forest right-back Williams is attracting strong interest from several Premier League clubs, with Manchester United and Newcastle United among those to have formally registered their admiration.
Forest paid around £17–18m for Williams, but his development into a seasoned Premier League defender and current demand means any sale is expected to come at a premium.
If Forest cash in this summer, it is plausible that United or another suitor would need to offer at least double that fee, pushing a potential transfer toward the £35m–£40m bracket and possibly even higher if a bidding war emerges.
With a 15% sell‑on clause in place, Liverpool stand to collect a significant chunk of that upside.
On a hypothetical £36m deal, Forest’s profit on Williams would be close to £18–19m, and 15% of that would hand Liverpool a multi‑million pound bonus on top of what they already banked in 2022.
In other words, United’s hunt for a new right-back could end up indirectly strengthening Andoni Iraola’s budget.