Manchester United's search for at least two new midfielders has taken another twist, with the club turning to Wolverhampton Wanderers' Gomes after their move for Ederson collapsed, while former academy graduate Williams pursues a very different kind of comeback on trial at Rotherham United.
Manchester United had long appeared close to completing a deal for Ederson, with personal terms agreed and the Brazilian expected to join from Atalanta. Andrey Santos remains on course to arrive from Chelsea as United's second midfield addition, but Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Thursday evening that the Ederson move had collapsed following further medical checks.
United's attention immediately turned to Roma's Manu Kone, before Globo Esporte reported that the club has now also made contact with Wolves over Joao Gomes.
The 25-year-old Brazilian was dropping out of the Premier League with Wolves last season, and looked set for a move to Atletico Madrid before that deal also fell apart, reportedly after a disagreement involving agent Jorge Mendes and a separate move for Bernardo Silva.
Gomes has previously been strongly linked with a switch to Atletico, but a return to English football with United now appears a live possibility, with Liverpool also said to have made contact over a potential deal. His contract with Wolves runs until the summer of 2030.
Away from the midfield rebuild, former United defender Brandon Williams is on trial with League Two side Rotherham United as he attempts to revive a career that stalled badly in recent years. The 25-year-old, who made 51 appearances for United after coming through the academy, was handed a 14-month suspended prison sentence in May 2025 after crashing his Audi A3 at almost 100mph in Cheshire in August 2023, having been convicted of dangerous driving.
He went 20 months without playing before signing for Hull City last August, but left the Championship club by mutual consent in February after making just one substitute appearance.
Williams has been training with Rotherham, managed by Alex Bruce and featuring former United coach Steve McClaren as head of football, and played the second half of a pre-season friendly against Parkgate last week.
"He's had a tough couple of years," Bruce said. "He's not done a proper pre-season for two or three years now and he's had a few problems with injuries. It's a case of just seeing where he's at, getting a good pre-season into him and seeing where we go with it."
Bruce added that a contract decision would follow once both parties were ready to make one.