Man United Exclusive: Solskjaer readies Brandon Williams move
Besiktas are plotting a move for ex-Manchester United defender Brandon Williams, sources have told Football Insider.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to offer the free agent the chance to move to Turkey.
Williams has been without a club since leaving Man United in the summer of 2024 following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford.
The right-back previously spent time on loan at Ipswich Town and Norwich City, and made 51 appearances for the Red Devils during his time with the club, scoring once.
Brandon Williams looks to get career back on track
Williams spent all of the 2024/25 season without a club following his release from United, and was given a suspended 14-month prison sentence in May of 2025 for his role in a high-speed car crash in 2023 [BBC Sport].
The young fullback was seen as a promising talent coming out of the Red Devils’ historic Carrington academy.
After making a half-century of appearances for the club, Williams endured two loan spells that did little for his development.
However, despite his off-field issues and lack of match fitness, the 24-year-old enjoyed his best performances under Solskjaer.
The Norwegian boss enjoyed a strong start to his time in Turkey, winning 12 of his first 22 matches in charge of the Super Lig.
Besiktas may be a perfect landing spot for Williams. Jonas Svensson is the club’s first-choice right-back and he enjoyed a good season for the Turkish side last season, meaning there will be little expectation that the England Under-21 international will have to make an immediate impact.
This will give him time to find his feet, and fitness, before playing again under the manager who trusted him to feature for United as a teenager.
Alejandro Garnacho closing in on Aston Villa move
From one Carrington graduate to another, Aston Villa are closing in on a £30million move for Alejandro Garnacho, the club’s former CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider.
The Argentine international made his debut three years after Williams, and has gone on to make 144 appearances in that time.
However, Garnacho is part of Man United’s “bomb squad”, who have been excluded from the first-team set-up, and the winger was told to find a new club by Ruben Amorim at the end of last season.