Man Utd begin shock talks with £20m star with two Premier League relegations

Manchester United are pushing to make a surprise move for recently-relegated Burnley central midfielder Sander Berge, according to reports from Sky Sports News. The 26-year-old is understood to be keen to make the move to Old Trafford after suffering the setback of relegation to the Championship last term with the Clarets.

Berge arrived at Turf Moor in a £12m deal from Sheffield United just 12 months ago and still has three-years remaining on his contract in Lancashire. Despite a 19th place finish in his debut campaign, the 6ft 5in holding midfielder was lauded as a shining light in the team as he contributed one goal and two assists from 37 league appearances.

Manchester United are reportedly willing to pay a fee of around £20m to prise the Norwegian away from Turf Moor this summer, but Sun Sport suggests that Burnley are in no rush to sell the player following their parachute payment and add that Scott Parker’s men will hold out for an offer for around £30m.

Berge has four years of experience in English football since joining Sheffield United in January 2020 for a then club-record fee of around £22m. In his first six months at Bramall Lane, he helped the team secure a ninth place finish in the Premier League.

However, just 12 months later, he formed part of the team which were relegated with 23 points. In the following two seasons he impressed at Championship level with the Blades before suffering a second relegation after moving to Burnley.

Despite these setbacks, he has often been linked with a host of top clubs due to his strength, aerial ability and his impressive workrate. He has won 46 caps for Norway where he plays alongside both Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard at international level.

Berge is one of a number of midfielders on the Red Devils radar, with the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Manuel Ugarte, Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana also being linked with a move to Erik ten Hag’s side.