Manchester United target Sander Berge could play for Burnley on the Championship’s opening weekend. Four more stars awaiting transfers are in a similar boat.
Sander Berge (Burnley)
The jaws of The Athletic’s readers dropped to the floor upon learning Berge has been ‘contacted’ by Man Utd with the Burnley star identified as a cheaper alternative to PSG’s pricey Uruguayan, Manuel Ugarte.
Unsurprisingly, £30m-rated Berge wants to grasp this opportunity with both hands and has ‘said yes’ to a move to Old Trafford.
With Man Utd ‘offered more than a dozen’ alternatives and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe supposedly refusing to give up on one target, it remains to be seen whether Berge is eventually chosen as their new central midfielder.
Man Utd’s summer transfer window got off to a promising start with the statement signing of 18-year-old Leny Yoro as Ratcliffe and co. appeared to swiftly have the previously misfiring Premier League giants on track to make major strides forwards.
So for their doubters, it will be reassuring that the days of manipulative clubs across Europe looking to offload talents to a deep-pocketed and charitable Man Utd to benefit financially are far from over.
Regarding Berge, he was arguably Burnley’s best player in a torrid season and he’s certainly not a terrible option. However, given the ongoing links with Ugarte and other exciting alternatives on the market, this affordable but underwhelming deal would not see the Norway international follow one of his future teammates in being a transformative signing.
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Jack Clarke (Sunderland)
Where would Sunderland have been last season without Clarke? Fearing for their lives while involved in a relegation battle, probably.
The former Tottenham Hotspur winger – who is somehow only 23 – has been nothing short of superb for Sunderland in back-to-back Championship seasons as he’s proving why the Premier League side felt he was worth over £10m as a teenager.
Nineteen-goal involvement Clarke and Jobe Bellingham carried Sunderland last term as club chiefs quickly rued their season-derailing decision to replace Tony Mowbray with Michael Beale.
The Black Cats’ hopes for this upcoming season are reliant on Clarke and Bellingham staying put and it currently looks like they will get their wish.
Clarke’s agent – ex-Premier League left-back Ian Harte – admitted earlier this year he “hopes” his player gets a Premier League move this summer and despite his fine form suggesting he’s worth the money, Sunderland’s reported £18m asking price so far appears to have put off newly-promoted Ipswich Town and Southampton.
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Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United)
Having already sold Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville following last season’s play-off final heartache, Leeds boss Daniel Farke would presumably prefer to avoid any more high-profile exits as his side hope to get over the promotion line at the second time of asking.
But this may not happen as Italy international Gnonto continues to be linked with a move elsewhere. Everton wanted him last summer when he came close to leaving and Sean Dyche’s side remains keen, having recently had a £23m bid rejected by the West Yorkshire outfit.
Gnonto became Gary Neville’s new favourite player as he fearlessly provided a spark for Leeds during their 2022/23 relegation season. Yet he was on the periphery in the Championship before his strong end to the campaign has re-ignited transfer speculation.
Everton have done some decent business this summer. But they certainly could do with adding to their options in attack and a Leeds reunion involving Gnonto and Jack Harrison at Goodison Park would provide a timely boost.
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Jonathan Rowe (Norwich City)
Leeds United’s financial situation was boosted by the summer sales of Gray and Summerville, but securing a replacement for the latter must be a priority before the transfer window closes.
Clearly aware of this, Leeds appear to have picked out Norwich City’s Jonathan Rowe as their preferred replacement for the West Ham newbie.
The task of finding a suitable replacement for Summerville was always going to be extremely difficult, but 21-year-old Rowe is arguably the best option they could have hoped for.
The Canaries will be expected to reject Leeds United’s imminent opening offer of £7m and it would presumably take around double that to finalise a deal before the transfer deadline.
Ben Sheaf (Coventry City)
The former Arsenal academy product’s emergence at Coventry City is one of many examples – including £86m striker Viktor Gyokeres – of the Championship side playing the transfer game to perfection, with potentially high-value talents given the platform to develop before being sold on.
Coventry have benefitted from their astute sales as Mark Robins has made the most of an increased budget to build a top-echelon Championship side capable of seriously competing for promotion this season.
Callum O’Hare’s exit on a free transfer earlier this summer to Sheffield United was a blow to their chances, but there would be a more severe issue if Sheaf is sold amid interest from Ipswich and others.
The Sky Blues should score goals for fun this term with Haji Wright, Ellis Simms, and Brandon Thomas-Asante vying for starts, but defensive midfielder Sheaf is arguably the most important cog in Robins’ side and would be very difficult to replace if he does move on.
