Sheffield United boss explains Sander Berge Wrexham absence amid Fulham, Newcastle links

Berge was left out of Wrexham draw amid speculation over his future
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Paul Heckingbottom was asked not to play Sander Berge against Wrexham this afternoon with Sheffield United in negotiations over selling the player ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.

The Blades’ former record signing has been linked with Fulham and Newcastle amid United’s financial troubles, which saw them placed under a transfer embargo earlier this month by the EFL.

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Boss Heckingbottom reiterated his stance on losing either Berge or Iliman Ndiaye ahead of the transfer window closing, but admitted it could be out of his hands.

“He’s not here because we’ve been asked not to use him because our club’s speaking to other clubs regarding him. It doesn’t mean Sander’s going anywhere.

“Sander’s happy here, but the situation we find ourselves in - mid-takeover with a transfer embargo, no clarity which way it’s going and financial issues - one way to potentially resolve some issues is selling a player.

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“Everyone knows my thoughts but we’ve had lots of things we’ve had to deal with but this is in the public eye. He’d be a big loss, we worked hard to keep this squad together in terms of the balance and how competitive it is and that’s shown in our results and performances.

“We find ourselves in difficult times financially and it means some tough decisions may have to be made. But there’s lots of ways we could come out of it and keep hold of players.”

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