Arsenal remain in pole position to sign Sander Berge but the Gunners will not pay the £35 million fee Sheffield United are demanding for the midfielder, as reported by The Star.
Hear that Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur? That is the sound of opportunity knocking.
While Arsenal appear to be the clear favourites for a player who worked under Gunners coach Albert Stuivenberg at Genk, the Gunners and the Blades are still poles apart in their valuation of the 6ft 4ins Norway international.
Reports coming out of Yorkshire today claim that, not only are Arsenal unwilling to meet his £35 million asking price, they are also none too happy about the way Sheffield United want the deal to be structured.
Will Arsenal miss out on Sander Berge?
The Star suggest that Slavisa Jokanovic’s side want much of that £35 million outlay up front.
Arsenal, however, would prefer to pay the fee in a series of instalments, a la Nicolas Pepe (Sun).
Everton have also been linked with Berge, via Sky Sports, although the sudden departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid means the Toffees now have a more pressing matter to deal with before focus turns to potential transfer targets.
Liverpool are interested, too, in a man Jurgen Klopp described as a ‘very interesting’ talent following a Champions League group-stage clash with Genk during the autumn of 2019.
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