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Southampton have reportedly approached Liverpool for defender Neco Williams, who spent last season on loan at Fulham.
Williams, 21, impressed during his time in the Championship with the Cottagers. He made 22 appearances, scoring two goals and contributing five assists.
With the strength in depth at Jurgen Klopp's disposal at Anfield, Williams may have a hard time finding first-team minutes. The arrival of Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen has only further jeopardized Williams' place in the Liverpool side.
According to Sky Sports (via Liverpool Echo), Southampton are trying to lure the Welshman to St. Mary's this summer. Along with the interest from Southampton, newcomers Nottingham Forest and Fulham are also keeping tabs on Williams' availability.
The Mirror reports that the Reds have told Williams that they have made him available for loan heading into the summer.
Williams' impressive performances have seen him earn a call-up to the Welsh national side. The 21-year-old has made 21 international appearances, scoring two goals. He will be part of the Welsh side that participate in their first World Cup since 1958 later this year.
Neco Williams speaks on his Liverpool future
Neco Williams had previously spoken about his future at the club, with the defender eager for first-team opportunities. He told McDonald's Fun Football (via LiverpoolEcho):
“Right now, I just want to play football week in and week out, I want to play as much as possible and gain as much experience as possible, and so far it has definitely helped me. I’ve improved as a player and getting promoted is a nice one to put on the CV. It’s been a great loan, but I’ll be going back to Liverpool in the summer, feeling like a more mature player and definitely an improved player."
“I’ve won the Prem and hopefully I can go on to win the Championship now. I have gained a lot of experience in a short amount of time. I’ve gone from starting a Champions League game against AC Milan and beating them 2-1 to playing Barnsley. So I have gained quite a lot of valuable and varied experience at such a young age."
Williams also highlighted how important is it for him to feature regularly in the English top-flight and said:
“I want to be a Premier League player. For me, I think it’s the best and the toughest league in the world. And you always want to be playing against the best players in the world, you always want to play in the best league in the world."
“For me, that’s the Premier League and that’s what I want to do with my career just to play as many games as possible in the Premier League.”
