Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom believes clubs will swoop in and either pay a fee that's too good to turn down or trigger Sander Berge's release clause if he can continue to perform like he did against Millwall, speaking to The Star.

The Norwegian capitalised on a poor mistake from the Lions at the weekend - but still had plenty of work to do as he rounded Bartosz Bialkowski and calmly slotted the ball home to put the Blades in pole position to win all three points.

Struggling during the early stages of his career at Bramall Lane, with injuries hampering his progress, he has been a key figure for Heckingbottom's side during 2022 thus far with the midfielder performing well during the second half of last season and shining once again so far this term.

Following their relegation from the Premier League, his release clause has been lowered to £35m and there certainly wasn't any shortage of interest from other sides but no one was willing to match that to bypass negotiations with officials in South Yorkshire and talk directly to the player instead.

And so far this summer, Club Brugge are the only side to have launched a bid for his services, though that fell way below United's valuation of the 24-year-old.

Heckingbottom is one man that believes he could be on his way out of the club if he can retain his consistency, though the 44-year-old will want to keep hold of one of his star men.

He said: "Sander was excellent and, if he performs like that every time, someone will pay millions for him - the value will either be too good to turn down or it hits a release clause.

"I’ve been there before. You want players who are in demand. It means they are doing something right because people aren’t interested in ones who aren’t.

"Sander is doing his talking on the pitch."

The Verdict:

The Norwegian's versatility is very impressive, as someone that can play as an advanced midfielder and in a deeper position too, with his contributions in the final third likely to be important this season.

His frame also benefits him as someone that could be a real asset in both boxes - and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him move to on the top flight at some point - whether that's with or without his current side.

However, he needs to retain his fitness if he's to have a good chance of securing a move away from Bramall Lane because it's not as if his contract is running out anytime soon, with two years left to go on his existing terms.

His previous fitness concerns are probably the main reason why a club hasn't put in a tempting bid yet, though the Blades' transfer stance may be unwise at this stage with the hierarchy seemingly wanting at least £22m for him.

At this point, it seems unlikely that a club will fork out that much for him considering the level he's been playing at over the last year and past injuries, so it may be worth reducing his valuation to try and get the best possible fee for him now.