Championship side Sheffield United did not receive a serious offer for midfielder Sander Berge during the last two transfer windows despite interest in his signature, according to The Star.

The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from Bramall Lane last summer along with Aaron Ramsdale - but only the shot-stopper managed to secure a move away from South Yorkshire as he joined Arsenal in a £30m deal.

In terms of Berge though, the Blades seemed to hold firm, though the Norwegian's future would have been taken out of their hands if a side had triggered his £35m release clause with that figure dropping from £45m following their relegation last year.

 

 

The midfielder struggled for game time in the early stages of the 2021/22 campaign because of injury problems - but managed to shine during the latter stages of the season and this could make him the subject of interest again.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton and top-tier sides from Italy including Atalanta, Lazio and Napoli were all thought to be keeping tabs on Berge ahead of a potential approach.

However, no side went ahead and launched a "serious bid" for the 24-year-old last summer or this January, ruling out any chance of the Norwegian moving on prior to the upcoming summer period.

The Verdict:

Considering his fitness record at Bramall Lane, it's no surprise to see other sides opt against making a move for him, especially in January when he failed to make enough of an impact for Paul Heckingbottom's side at that point.

Although retaining him is a boost for United, they may want to cash in on him this summer because he only has two years left on his deal and the next window may be their last chance to maximise his price tag.

Paying £22m for him in January 2020, they may have to make a loss if they are to sell him on, but there's still a chance they could generate an eight-figure fee for his services and if that allows them to get deals over the line for three or four players, they should be looking to move him on.

This would be a shame considering he finally managed to get into a rhythm during the final couple of months of the season - but they won't want to lose him for a small fee or for free - so selling him may not be the worst idea.

He's unlikely to be on a modest salary either despite any relegation clause, so selling him could allow manager Heckingbottom to have a reasonably big budget to work with in the next few months as he looks to get the club back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.