Sheffield United: The comments from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta which will place The Blades on red alert

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, has placed Sheffield United on red alert after suggesting more new arrivals are imminent at the Emirates Stadium.
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Speaking as his squad prepare to fly to Florida for a pre-season training camp, the Basque indicated he is confident of shortly making another breakthrough in the transfer market after unveiling defender Nuno Tavares.

Although their talks with Brighton and Hove Albion about a proposed £50m deal for Ben White are thought to have reached an advanced stage, the north Londoners are also monitoring United duo Sander Berge and Aaron Ramsdale. However they have made it clear they have no intention of meeting the asking price for either, with Ramsdale being valued at around £40m after being drafted into the England squad for this summer’s European Championships.

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“We didn’t have any injuries, which is really positive,” said Arteta, whose side have just taken part in friendlies against Rangers and Hibernian. “We’re going to have some new faces arriving, probably, so very positive.”

Although United expect Berge to leave following their relegation from the Premier League, new manager Slavisa Jokanovic has admitted he will try and persuade the Norway midfielder to commit himself to the club for another 12 months.

Ramsdale, viewed as one of the country’s most talented young goalkeepers, is likely to prove easier to convince having only rejoined his first professional club from AFC Bournemouth 11 months ago.

Despite privately briefing they were preparing to submit a bid for Ramsdale when he returned from international duty, Arsenal have yet to make official contact with United about the 23-year-old.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is expecting new faces to arrive at the Emirates soon. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is expecting new faces to arrive at the Emirates soon. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is expecting new faces to arrive at the Emirates soon. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
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Berge missed United’s opening warm-up game, against Europa Point of Gibraltar, with what Jokanovic later described as a “minor problem”. Although he refused to elaborate, the Serb insisted it was not related to the hamstring issue which forced the player to miss much of last term or the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Napoli, who tried to recruit Berge before he joined United fron Genk in January last year, have also made noises about resurrecting their intrerest in Berge. However, like Arsenal, they believe he is overpriced. United are thought to want around £35m.