Manchester United have reportedly made contact with a new midfield target with his club prepared to sell.
Ratcliffe and Ashworth’s first summer at Man Utd
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth are into their first summer transfer window at Old Trafford as co-owner and sporting director, and it has been a productive one so far.
A number of players have departed the Red Devils, whereas deals for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro from Bologna and Lille respectively have been secured.
Man Utd summer departures
New club
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Mason Greenwood
Marseille
€26m
Willy Kambwala
Villarreal
€10m
Alvaro Carreras
Benfica
€6m
Donny van de Beek
Girona
€500,000
Raphael Varane
Como
Free
Omari Forson
Monza
Free
Anthony Martial
Without club
Brandon Williams
Without club
Zirkzee and Yoro could be joined by further first-team additions before the deadline, whereas the club look set to bolster their academy ranks with the signing of teenage forward Chido Obi Martin after he departed Arsenal.
Senior targets include Bayern Munich duo Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt in deals that would strengthen Erik ten Hag's right-back and centre-back ranks.
Meanwhile, a new midfielder is also wanted at Old Trafford before the end of the month, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte arguably the most heavily linked target in the middle of the pitch.
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However, there were internal talks held over a move for Burnley’s Sander Berge, and it looks as if Ratcliffe and Ashworth have stepped up their interest in recent days, with an approach made to the target.
Man Utd make contact with Berge
According to The Athletic, Man Utd, and by extension Ashworth, have now made contact with Berge’s camp, with the Burnley man a surprise option for the Red Devils.
It is claimed that Burnley are prepared to sell Berge after spending £12m on his services last year, with the Norway international standing at 6 foot 5.
Despite his tall frame, Berge is extremely quick and hit a top speed of 35.90km/h, the 10th fastest of all top-flight players last season. He made 40 appearances in all competitions under Vincent Kompany in 2023/24 but couldn’t help Burnley avoid the drop back to the Championship.
However, he did come in for praise from Kompany back in December, with the former Burnley boss saying: “Sander obviously had a year of Premier League experience already and he’s an international. He’s shown he can play at this level.
“It was always important to find a balance, but you never know if it will take six weeks or six months for someone to settle in. He took some time but what he’s showing now, he’s on the right track.
“His performance at Arsenal was outstanding, against Crystal Palace and West Ham but the progress of the team is lined up with his progress as well, which is completely normal. That’s why you go into the transfer window, to hopefully make the team better.”