Man Utd offer Berge BUMPER contract as talks confirmed

Robin Bairner

• 8 Aug 2024 12:20 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are stepping up their interest in Burnley midfielder Sander Berge, with reports indicating they have offered the Norway international midfielder a huge contract offer.

FootballTransfers, in conjunction with the Transfers Podcast, revealed that Berge is one of the alternatives that the Red Devils are exploring should a deal for PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte breakdown.

With the move for the Uruguay international apparently at a standstill, it appears that United are indeed exploring other potential arrivals.

READ MORE: Man Utd hold 'initial talks' with ANOTHER Ugarte alternative

Sky Sports confirms that they are stepping up their interest in Berge.

“Manchester United have held initial discussions with Burnley over a deal for midfielder Sander Berge,” it reports. “United are exploring the conditions of a potential transfer.

“Berge wants to make the move to Old Trafford. The midfielder has three years left on his contract.”

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

Man Utd face Berge battle

According to The Sun, meanwhile, Man Utd are ready to present Berge with a contract that is worth some £100,000 per week.

On top of this, Burnley expect to fetch a fee of €35 million (£30m) for the Norway star. This could prove problematic as Man Utd are only prepared to pay €23m (£20m) for a player who the Clarets only signed for €14m last summer, when numerous top Premier League sides were reportedly interested in him.

Berge’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €12.4m, which is around a third of the price the Championship club are claiming for him.

Burnley, though, are in a relatively strong position. Not only is Berge under contract until 2027, they are also financially secure because of the large parachute payment they are due after being relegated from the Premier League. They can, therefore, afford to hold relatively firm over their valuation of the player.

Among Man Utd’s other options are Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat and Monaco’s France international Youssouf Fofana.