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Liverpool must surely regret Neco Williams buy-back decision after latest
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- Liverpool must surely regret Neco Williams buy-back decision after latest
Liverpool will surely be rueing their lack of a buy-back clause in their deal to sell Neco Williams to Nottingham Forest back in 2022.
The full-back left Anfield for the City Ground after receiving limited first-team opportunities for his boyhood club, but he has since gone from strength to strength.
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Now 25, Williams has become one of the first names on the team sheet for Oliver Glasner at Forest, and has arguably become one of the Premier League's most consistent defenders.
Forest landed the Wales international for just £17million, and have since been able to fend off prying glances from the likes of Tottenham in recent years.
Liverpool are now facing uncertainty in both of their full-back positions, but do not have the option of triggering a return.
They inserted a buy-back clause when Jarrell Quansah left in 2025, but failed to do so with Williams, who continues to prove that to be a silly decision.
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Neco Williams stars for Wales yet again
Williams has enjoyed a typically excellent start to the new campaign for Forest, and has played every single minute of Premier League action across the opening five games.
He has carried that form into the international break, and was the star of his country's 1-0 defeat at home to Denmark on Sunday night.
Williams' influence on the Wales team was clear to see, as his 95 touches were the highest tally of any player on the pitch.
He also played 11 passes into the final third while making seven defensive contributions, which highlights his involvement at both ends of the pitch.
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Throw in the fact that he also won seven duels, and it was a hugely impressive all-round performance from the right-back.
The fact that Williams performed to that level against a genuine top-level nation in Denmark only underlines yet again that Liverpool have missed a trick by not moving back in for him since he left.
Liverpool and Chelsea join race to sign Nottingham Forest player Liverpool pushing to sign other Nottingham Forest star
Football Insiderrevealed last weekend that Liverpool have joined the race to sign Murillo from Forest in January, amid a lack of depth at centre-back.
Andoni Iraola's side are huge admirers of the Brazilian, but they are likely to face heavy competition for his signature from the likes of Chelsea.
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Sources say that a winter move for Murillo could prove difficult, with Forest under no pressure to sell in the middle of the campaign and likely to hold out for a huge fee.
However, it could be a different story next summer, with the 24-year-old already identified as an ideal long-term option at the heart of Liverpool's backline.
