Manchester United Targets Sander Berge for Midfield Rebuild

Manchester United’s midfield overhaul is gathering pace – and Sander Berge has moved firmly into view.

With a deal already agreed for Atalanta’s Ederson Silva, United’s new powerbrokers INEOS are pressing on with plans to add at least one more central midfielder this summer. The shortlist is growing, the profile is clear, and Berge now sits alongside several Premier League names under serious consideration.

United have opened talks over West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and remain interested in former Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams, currently at Bournemouth. Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest has dropped off the agenda, the £130m price tag quickly killing any prospect of a move.

Berge back on United’s radar

According to The Athletic, Fulham’s Sander Berge is once again under detailed assessment at Old Trafford. United looked closely at the Norway international in 2024 when he left Burnley for Craven Cottage. They passed then. They may not this time.

Berge has quietly built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most dependable defensive midfielders. Physically imposing, tactically disciplined and technically secure, he has become a mainstay for Fulham, offering the kind of reliability United’s midfield has often lacked in recent seasons.

He is under contract at Fulham until 2029, with the London club holding an option to extend by a further year. Any deal will not be cheap. Fulham paid £25m for him two years ago and, as reported, would want to make a clear profit before even thinking about doing business.

The timing is significant. Berge is part of Norway’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, heading into the tournament on the back of an impressive club campaign. A strong showing on the global stage would only harden Fulham’s stance and inflate his value.

A Liverpool admirer… in United’s sights

One detail will not be lost on United supporters: Berge has already spoken openly about his admiration for their fiercest rivals.

Back in November 2019, while still at KRC Genk, he told Norwegian outlet TV2: “Playing at Anfield is a dream for everyone in the world, and not least for Norwegians. Liverpool are the best team [at the moment] and have the most fans. So I could certainly like to play at Anfield as often as possible.”

Jürgen Klopp was an admirer too. After a Champions League meeting between Liverpool and Genk, Klopp told Berge, as quoted by The Athletic in December 2020: “You are an interesting player, a very interesting player.”

The Liverpool move never came. Instead, Berge has carved out his Premier League career via Sheffield United, Burnley and now Fulham, earning respect as a consistent, understated operator rather than a headline signing.

Now the prospect is on the table that his next major step could be to Old Trafford, not Anfield.

INEOS, profiles and the cost of control

Under INEOS, United’s recruitment drive has shifted towards players in their prime who can immediately raise the team’s physical and tactical level. Berge fits that mould: 28 years old, Premier League-hardened, comfortable screening the back four and recycling possession without fuss.

The question is cost and priority.

With Ederson already incoming and other targets in play, United must decide whether Berge is the anchor they want to build around, or one option among several in a crowded market. Fulham, secure in their contractual position, can afford to hold a hard line and wait for the right offer.

What is clear is that United are determined not to stumble into another season short of control in midfield. If they decide Berge is the man to fix that, the next negotiations will not be about admiration or old quotes. They will be about whether INEOS are prepared to pay a premium for a player who has spent years proving he belongs at the top end of the Premier League.