A Premier League defender is said to be interested in joining Manchester United this summer, handing Michael Carrick a potential boost. United’s summer transfer window is hotting up, despite the cancelled signing of Ederson, with one midfielder all wrapped up in Andrey Santos and another in Youri Tielemans agreed.

Carrick prioritised the midfield signings this summer, with Casemiro leaving the club to add to the need for midfield improvement, and while United may circle back for a third midfield signing, the two agreed deals will allow them to concentrate on other areas for now.

The defence could be addressed, with a left-back signing required, while the right could be added to, and there is some interesting news on the latter.

Neco Williams gives Man Utd green light

via Reuters

Nottingham Forest and Wales star Neco Williams is said to be interested in a move to Old Trafford this summer. According to TeamTalk, United, Newcastle and Tottenham are among the clubs considering the right-back, and it’s claimed WIlliams himself would prefer a move to Old Trafford.

No formal approaches have been made yet, according to the report, but interest is ramping up, and Forest are well aware of it, now reportedly offering the full-back a new contract. It’s claimed Forest have put significant money on the table in a bid to convince the Wales international to stick around and remain their starting right-back.

If Williams does leave, he is said to want to test himself at a higher level and, ideally, pay Champions League football. United are named as the preferred destination, which may come as a surprise given he came through the Liverpool academy.

Transfermarkt value Williams at £23.8million, but Forest, who are not interested in selling at this point, would demand significantly more. Williams won Forest’s Player of the Season in the season just gone.

Williams a reliable player

Williams was Forest’s most consistent player last season, and BBC Sport’s Forest fan pundit Pat Riddell said in the spring: “The Welshman has won the club’s player of the month award four times this season and, aside from a knee-jerk reaction handball which saw his dismissal against Crystal Palace in February, it’s hard to think of a game where he put a foot wrong.

“Committed, dependable, versatile, consistent… the 25-year-old is up and down the left flank for almost the entirety of every game – his ability to tackle and defend his goal, as well as shoot, score and assist, means he’s easily ranking among the Premier League’s top full-backs.”

The 2026 World Cup has reached the semi-final stage, with only the world’s four highest-ranked teams remaining in the competition.

France and Spain will face off each other in the first semi-final on Tuesday. The match between the two European powerhouses will take place at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

On Wednesday, reigning champions Argentina will go head-to-head with 1966 champions, England. The Atlanta Stadium will host the match between the two rivals.

England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham celebrate via REUTERS/Paul Childs

North American football fans aren’t happy at all when the games will be played. In England, both games are scheduled to start at 8pm BST. But in North America, the game will kick off at 3pm ET (12pm PT), meaning many fans will be working when the match is taking place.

Many North American football fans have taken to social media to express their annoyance that the kick-off times are more friendly to those watching in Europe. One fan said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that the country hosting the World Cup have scheduled the semi-finals for 3pm midweek. What a joke.”

A second commented: “3pm start times for the World Cup semis in the middle of the week is not particularly ideal.”

While a third said: “Cannot believe the France vs Spain semifinal is 3pm on a Tuesday. A weekday afternoon. North America is hosting this World Cup. Put the final at 3pm Saturday… fine… it’s the weekend. But scheduling a semi at 3pm on a workday to cater to Europe while North Americans get shafted is a joke. When you host, the marquee games go in your prime time. What is even the point of hosting?”

FIFA Explained Kick Off Times For Later World Cup Games

Luis Cortes via Reuters

Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup’s chief tournament officer for the United States, explained why the final few matches of the tournament are not kicking off at ideal times for those watching in North America. Per the Mirror, he said the decision was made when taking into account:

Ahead of the tournament, Zubiria also explained why the World Cup final will take place at 3pm ET (8pm BST) on Sunday, July 19. He told the Athletic:

“It’s the final of the World Cup – the more people you can bring to this game around the world (via television), the better. There will be measures to mitigate the heat.

“As you’ve seen, there are not that many other games in times that will raise questions. We managed to leverage it and to balance it out well.”

Manchester United still hold hope of signing Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, despite the player reportedly agreeing a new contract at the Bernabeu, according to journalist Andy Mitten.

Tchouameni enjoyed another impressive season for Los Blancos in 2025/26, but a fallout with teammate Federico Valverde towards the end of the campaign has fuelled speculation that he could leave the Spanish capital this summer. Unsurprisingly, a number of clubs were said to be on hand to pounce on the opportunity to land the Frenchman, with Manchester said to be his most likely destination.

United have reportedly expressed their interest in the 26-year-old, with the Red Devils said to view him as a dream midfield signing.

However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed last week that Tchouameni has reached an agreement to extend his contract at Real Madrid until 2031, seemingly ending United’s immediate pursuit of the player.

Man Utd could still sign Aurelien Tchouameni this summer

via Reuters

United’s priority this summer was to renovate their midfield, and they’ve already set the wheels in motion on this front.

Andrey Santos has arrived from Chelsea for around £50million, while Youri Tielemans is closing in on a switch from Aston Villa after United opted to activate the Belgian’s £35million release clause.

Despite these two additions, there is still a feeling that the Red Devils need to add an out-and-out defensive midfielder to their squad. Tchouameni has been identified as the ideal candidate to fulfil this role at Old Trafford, but after reports emerged indicating that the France international is set to sign a new deal at Real Madrid, hopes of pulling off this statement transfer were somewhat diminished.

Usually, when a player commits their long-term future to a club, they aren’t then immediately sold. However, such is the dramatic nature of proceedings at the Bernabeu, journalist Mitten has claimed that sources at the La Liga outfit have told him Tchouameni’s departure could still be sanctioned.

“It sounds like he is, but when I spoke to somebody in Madrid after he had signed the contract, let me just read the text back: ‘They could still sell him,’” he told on Talk of the Devils.

“So, there you go. They could still get him. I will try to find out. So, the player has obviously done well out of this. This isn’t the first time that this has happened, where a Real Madrid player has benefited from Manchester United’s interest.

“Look, United were interested in him, as you would be, because he’s very good. As I have said on this podcast several times, the player’s perfectly happy in Madrid.

“If that situation changes, he would be perfectly happy to play for Manchester United.

“When I did some calls last week to Madrid, or actually it was the US because that’s where the journalists are covering the Spanish national team, one of the points put to me was Real Madrid want to buy big, so they need to sell big.”

Real Madrid still unlikely to sell Aurelien Tchouameni

Sarah Meyssonnier Via Reuters

While not implausible, the likelihood of Real Madrid selling Tchouameni after he’s put pen to paper on a new deal is slim. Going through the hassle of convincing him to stay and undergoing intense negotiations, just to let him leave straight away, doesn’t make much sense.

Jose Mourinho reportedly spoke to Tchouameni and convinced him to remain at Real Madrid, which doesn’t suggest that the Portuguese manager would be happy if Florentino Perez decided to imminently cash in.

Not to mention, the midfielder boasts a unique profile within the Real Madrid squad. He’s the only natural defensive midfielder, and there are few players on the market Los Blancos could replace him with and expect to find an upgrade.

United are likely going to be forced to look elsewhere.