Forest target Neco could be set for loan
WALES INTERNATIONAL WILLIAMS MAY BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE ANFIELD
NOTTINGHAM Forest transfer target Neco Williams is said to have been told he is available for a loan move away from Liverpool this summer.
The Reds have identified Williams as a possible replacement for loanee Djed Spence – who is expected to have negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur later this week.
Forest would like to sign Spence permanently but they face significant competition for the wing-back and are claimed to have ‘admitted defeat’ in their pursuit.
Williams is a target for Forest this summer and, according to The Mirror, the 21-year-old Wales international has been told he is available for loan. The young wing-back rose through Liverpool’s academy system after joining the club at the age of six. He recently played alongside Brennan Johnson as Wales qualified for the World Cup.
Williams has found playing time hard to come by at Anfield and has opted for loan moves to continue his development.
He scored two goals and contributed two assists in 14 Championship appearances while with Fulham during the second half of last season, helping the London outfit win the second tier title.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Williams is valued at £15m, with Fulham also said to be keen on taking him back to Craven Cottage. Liverpool completed the signing of Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay for £4.2m over the weekend.
As previously reported, Forest also have an interest in Manchester City full-back Issa Kabore. Like Williams, the defender spent last season away from his parent club where he caught the eye with his performances.
Kabore spent the season on loan with French side Troyes, where he played a total of 31 times. He helped the club to a 15th place finish at the end of the 2021/22 season, as well as being voted the best young player at the most recent African Cup of Nations.
Forest are only allowed to have two loan players in their squad at any one time, increasing the chances that the Reds would try to buy Kabore.
Meanwhile, Forest are reportedly ‘confident’ that talks with Brennan Johnson over a contract extension will be ‘tied up soon.’
The 21-year-old completed his 66th match of the season while on international duty with Wales in what was a breakthrough season for club and country.
Johnson finished the season on a high with back-toback goals in Nations League matches against Belgium and the Netherlands.
Attention will now turn to club football and next season in the Premier League.
Before the football kicks off in less than two months’ time, Johnson’s contract situation is one of the offthe-pitch issues that still remain unresolved at the City Ground.
Transfers journalist Jacque Talbot says Forest are confident of completing a deal.
“Told that Brennan Johnson is undergoing contract talks with Nottingham Forest following the conclusion of their promotion-earning season and the club are confident of getting the deal tied up soon,” he tweeted on Saturday afternoon.
A host of Premier League clubs have been linked with Johnson and Manchester United are the latest to be reported.
Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds United, Leicester City, Newcastle United and Southampton have all been linked before.