Liverpool full-back Neco Williams has joined Nottingham Forest.
Williams spent 15 years in the ranks at Anfield, making his first-team debut in a League Cup fourth round penalty shootout win over Arsenal in late 2019.
He also became an established Wales international while with the Reds but failed to dislodge Trent Alexander-Arnold as the club’s first choice right-back.
The 21-year-old latterly spent the second half of the previous season on loan with Fulham and helped them secure promotion from The Championship.
Williams joins fellow Premier League newcomers Forest, who are managed by former Liverpool academy coach Steve Cooper, in a deal worth £17 million.
But Jurgen Klopp admitted that the move to the City Ground is a necessary one in order for the academy graduate to play regular first-team football.
He said: “It’s wonderful news for Neco – a perfect move in many ways.
“He’s a bright, exciting talent and he’s going to a club that is upwardly mobile in this moment.
“I am a big fan of their manager and he knows Neco from when he coached at our Academy. I think they’ll be ideal for each other.
“It’s not easy to let him leave if I’m being honest, but he deserves to be playing regularly and he’s earned the right to be ready for his international team for this tournament coming in the winter.
“I’m proud of the part we have played in his growth and development – I mean the entire club, not just as a first-team environment.
“We wish him success and look forward to seeing him continue on his journey, albeit now from a distance.”