Toby Collyer is set to leave Manchester United after the club accepted a permanent transfer proposal from West Bromwich Albion worth an initial £3 million.
The 22-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Championship side, according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, putting him on course to continue his career at the Hawthorns.
United will also retain a 40 per cent sell-on clause, preserving a significant interest in the midfielder should West Brom eventually move him on for a profit.
Deal could rise substantially
The guaranteed fee is surprisingly low, but Whitwell reports that performance-related add-ons could take the total value of the transfer to £7.6 million.
Most of those additional payments are considered achievable. Others would require loftier milestones, including West Brom reaching the Premier League or European competition, or Collyer going on to represent England at senior level.
The structure should give United an immediate injection of cash while leaving room for a much healthier return if the player fulfils his potential. Raising funds has become an important consideration for the club following three midfield additions.
Hull City and Middlesbrough also submitted offers for Collyer, but the player chose West Brom as the best destination for offering regular football and the chance to take part in a promotion push.
That decision meant turning down the opportunity to rejoin Hull in the Premier League. A possible top-flight move carried obvious appeal, although consistent minutes are likely to be more valuable at this point in his development.
Familiar territory after difficult loans
Collyer already knows West Brom after spending the first half of last season on loan at the Hawthorns. His involvement was restricted to 12 appearances during an injury-disrupted spell.
There was considerable instability around him as Ryan Mason, Eric Ramsay and James Morrison all took charge of the team during that period. Morrison eventually steered the Baggies to safety before receiving the job permanently.
West Brom have since opened the new Championship campaign with two victories from two matches, providing Collyer with a more settled environment than the one he encountered during his loan.
He switched to Hull for the second half of last season, but that move also brought limited playing time. Collyer made five appearances before an ankle injury in April ended his campaign prematurely.
United pathway reaches its conclusion
Collyer had previously worked his way into the United senior picture, making 13 first-team appearances during the 2024/25 season. At one stage, he had moved ahead of experienced Brazilian Casemiro in Ruben Amorim’s selection order.
His energy and willingness to compete offered Amorim a useful midfield option, while those senior outings suggested there could be a route into the first-team squad for the youngster.
However, subsequent midfield recruitment and a change in management changed that calculation. Collyer performed well during a 45-minute appearance against Leeds United in a pre-season friendly in Dublin, but the pathway to regular competitive minutes is now crowded following the arrivals of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.
The Peoples Person Reliability Assessment
Overall credibility: 9.5/10
Why?
✅ Whitwell is solid gold on United news.
✅ The Baggies were already reported to be closing in on a deal earlier today.
TPP View
We believe this is as close to certain as a transfer story gets.
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