FINALLY DONE: Fabrizio Romano drops latest Man united transfer update as deal is being confirmed,player medical schedule already as announcement will be done today
When Man Utd signed Casemiro from Real Madrid a couple of seasons ago, they knew that they were signing a player who was just past his prime years. Yet, it did not stop them from forking out £70m for the Brazilian.
The Red Devils gave him a four-year contract with the option of extending it by a further year. Effectively, they were going to pay £14m a year for a player (provided he spent his five seasons at Old Trafford) who would be turning 35 by when the deal ran out. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the ludicrous £450,000 per week salary they offered to bring him here.
To be fair to him, Casemiro had a brilliant first season in a Man Utd shirt but even in that campaign, there were reasons to be worried. The second season for the Brazilian though was an absolute disaster where he looks out-of-sorts.
Understandably, the Red Devils have been looking for his replacement this summer. We covered a story even around a week ago revealing that Man Utd were very close to signing PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte but it seems like the deal has now hit a snag.
The Red Devils have now started looking at alternatives and one player they have identified is Sander Berge. As per TeamTalk, Man Utd are now preparing an offer worth £25m to sign the Norwegian midfielder and bring him to Old Trafford.
The Clarets value the 26-year-old at around £30m and such a fee should convince the Championship club to sell the player. Capable of playing as a central and defensive midfielder, Berge is a very interesting transfer target.
He is not the youngest player going around and is not a prodigy by any sort of imagination. However, Man Utd already have Kobbie Mainoo in midfield and don’t need another youngster to partner with the 19-year-old. He has been impressive playing for Burnley but the scales are very different.
The only question that Man Utd need to ask is whether Berge can step into Casemiro’s shoes. To us, the answer is a resounding no! Can Ugarte do it? There is enough reason to believe so and the club would be better off pursuing the Uruguayan.
