Former Sheffield United midfielder, Sander Berge, is attracting attention from several Premier League clubs this summer. The Norwegian international is also being pursued by Turkish club Fenerbahce, as per Turkish transfer expert Ekrem Konur.
Fenerbahce are very serious about acquiring the 26-year-old, so much so that the club’s director, Mario Branco, is willing to travel to England in order to get a deal done for the player, as reported by Turkish media Dirilis Postasi.
This will be music to United’s ears because they are said to have a significant sell-on clause written in the deal, TV2 claimed 12 months ago, which saw him depart the Blades for roughly £15 million to join Burnley.
During his debut season for the Clarets, Berge was able to register two goals and two assists in 40 appearances before suffering relegation to the Championship, as did his former club Sheffield United.
It is thought that Burnley will seek a fee in excess of £20 million for the powerful midfielder, and if that’s the case then the Blades will definitely be entitled to a portion of the profits this summer, which could aid the incomings of Liam Millar and/or Joe Worrall.
Burnley selling Sander Berge could help Sheffield United in the transfer market
As previously mentioned, Chris Wilder’s side have been continuously linked with FC Basel winger Liam Millar, who was on loan at Preston North End last season where he featured 35 times in the league for Preston and registered five goals and five assists while playing as a wing-back.
Due to Liam Millar playing as a left-wingback for Preston last season, his statistics on FBref rank him among Championship full-backs and wing-backs rather than in his natural left-winger position.
The Canadian international is a formidable attacking threat, ranking in the 95th percentile for non-penalty expected goals (xG) and in the 99th percentile for total shots per 90 minutes. His creativity is also noteworthy, placing him in the 87th percentile for assists, 71st for key passes, and 88th for shot-creating actions over the course of the campaign.
Millar’s game is characterised by his energy and pace, which is reflected in his dribbling metrics. He ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and carries into the penalty area. His one-on-one abilities are exceptional, ranking him in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons.
United have used a 4-2-3-1 shape so far in pre-season, so it does seem likely that this could be the primary shape in this coming campaign. If that is the case, Millar is a perfect fit for that system; he can play down both sides as well as a number ten just behind the striker.
Another reason why I think he perfectly fits United’s new formation is because of his defensive work-rate. Millar played as a wing-back for the Lilywhites, and his defensive awareness could help support the Sheffield United full-backs in defensive situations.
