Sheffield United: Italians' pursuit of Sander Berge enters a critical phase

The Serie A club made Berge one of their top transfer targets earlier this summer, as they attempted to exploit both Luciano Spalletti’s appointment as head coach and United’s relegation from the Premier League.

But according to both sources in Italy and reports in the country’s sporting media, Cristiano Giuntoli, Napoli’s sporting director, is now exploring a number of different avenues as talks with Bramall Lane’s hierarchy proves difficult to progress.

The impasse centres around the price tag United have placed on the player and the sum Giuntoli’s employers are prepared to pay in order to secure Berge’s services.

Although Napoli view the £35m United have privately let it be known they would consider as a negotiating position rather than fixed fee, accepting the £9m Giuntoli has offered does not make financial sense for officials in South Yorkshire.

Berge cost £22m when he moved to England from Genk midway through the 2019/20 season. Although the cost of that deal will be spread across the course of his four-and-a-half year contract, United would still prefer to turn a profit if they do allow Berge to leave in order to bolster their own recruitment budget.

Lazio, Atalanta and Arsenal have also expressed interest in the 23-year-old, with the latter also keen on capturing his United team mate Aaron Ramsdale.