Toby Collyer is leaving Manchester United and betting his future on West Bromwich Albion, with the Championship club winning a hard-fought chase for the 22-year-old midfielder.
Transfer Fee: £3m (potential total package £7.6m)
United have agreed an initial £3m fee, but the deal is heavily performance‑laden. Add-ons take the total package to £7.6m, and a hefty 40% sell‑on clause means Old Trafford will keep a firm financial stake in Collyer’s career.
This is not a blind leap. Collyer knows the Hawthorns and West Brom know him. He spent the first half of last season on loan there, his progress interrupted by injury but not his impact on the people who mattered. James Morrison, now the Baggies boss, saw enough in those limited outings to push hard for a permanent move.
At one stage, West Brom looked nailed on as his next destination. Then the picture flipped.
Hull City, where Collyer also spent time on loan during the 2025/26 campaign, surged to the front of the queue. The promise of a key role there turned the race into a genuine 50-50 call, with both clubs believing they had made their case.
The balance shifted again when Morrison stepped in. His belief in Collyer’s potential, backed by the prospect of a bigger role and more minutes, proved decisive. For a 22-year-old still trying to turn promise into a full Championship season of authority, that mattered more than anything else.
In the end, Collyer chose familiarity, trust, and a clear pathway. West Brom get a midfielder they already rate. Manchester United secure a sizeable package and a major slice of any future sale. Hull are left wondering what might have been.
The real verdict comes next season, when Collyer finally gets the one thing he has been chasing throughout this saga: a run of games to show whether West Brom’s gamble can turn into a bargain.
