Man Utd confident of landing third new midfielder for £40m with INEOS now serious for signing

According to reports, Manchester United are stepping up their efforts to sign a third new midfielder as they target Fulham star Sander Berge.

It was widely reported ahead of this summer’s transfer window that the Red Devils would prioritise a midfield overhaul for next season following the exit of Casemiro.

Despite Manuel Ugarte’s injury, Man Utd intend to sign three midfielders and have already brought in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer.

The Red Devils, after opting against signing Ederson, are now looking for a defensive midfielder to fill the void left by Casemiro. They are linked with several potential signings, including Manu Kone as they reportedly plot a bid for the AS Roma star.

However, we have reported that Fulham star Berge has emerged as a ‘serious’ option for Man Utd, who have been heavily linked with the centre-midfielder for a couple of years.

We have also stated that Berge is considered a more attainable option than Kone, while he is ahead of Carlos Baleba in Man Utd’s thinking after he struggled for Brighton last season.

Now, a report from The Evening Standard has claimed that Man Utd are ‘considering a swoop’ to land Berge this summer.

Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Man Utd ‘confident’ of signing Sander Berge for £40m

The same report claims Man Utd are ‘confident’ of signing Berge ‘for as little as £40m’, so he would be a cheaper alternative than some of their other midfield targets.

Alternatively, Man Utd could make a move for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton, and former United assistant Rene Meulensteen has explained why the Englishman would be a suitable alternative to Ederson.

Meulensteen told Tipman Tips: “United need to sign at least two, if not three midfielders this transfer window. That’s the position where they have to really, really strengthen, especially with more competitions coming up.

“What United needs is diversity in its recruitment, instead of bringing three of the same type of players in. You’ve already got Kobbie Mainoo, who’s a good ball player and he brings good energy to the team. So, what they need is a player that is very dynamic and strong.

“I always like good, technical footballers in the midfield. I’ve liked Adam Wharton for United for a while now, because he is so good on the ball, very calm under pressure. He finds any of those front five with one decisive pass, and he rips the opposition right open, and I love that.

“Baleba is again, a very young, very promising player, very dynamic, quick, but slightly different to the others I’ve mentioned.”

Get the inside story first by joining our TEAMtalk Facebook channel to receive the latest breaking and exclusive news straight into your Messenger inbox.