Man Utd 'make offer' for Manuel Ugarte alternative as INEOS put pressure on PSG

Manchester United have reportedly put an offer on the table for Burnley midfielder Sander Berge but have fallen short of the Clarets’ valuation. The Red Devils are on the hunt for a new midfield genius following an underwhelming campaign last time around and have been chasing the signature of Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte in recent weeks.

Ugarte didn’t feature during his team’s Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre on Friday night as PSG thrashed their opponents 4-1.

And United’s move for Berge could heap the pressure on the French champions as they could be reluctant to keep Ugarte at the club if his heart is set on a move to the Premier League.

According to the Daily Mail, United have not met Burnley’s £30m asking price for Berge.

The 26-year-old featured 37 times in the Premier League last season after joining Burnley from Sheffield United last summer but was unable to prevent his team dropping into the Championship after they finished 19th in the table.

Berge is yet to make an appearance this season, with new Burnley boss Scott Parker explaining in a press conference earlier this month: “Sander picked up a knock about a week, 10 days ago. It’s not too big, it’s just a slight knock.

“He’s got a little slight quad issue. I sense the way you’re asking that question you don’t believe that he’s injured?

“He’s definitely got an injury. He picked up an injury in Spain [during pre-season]. He had a bit of discomfort in his quad. It’s not a big injury, it’s quite a small injury to be honest with you. But it was a bit persistent. He got a scan and we think we know where we are with it now. We’ve diagnosed it and he’s on the right track now.”

PSG are said to be happy to proceed with the sale of Ugarte but are demanding a transfer fee of £52m, the same amount they paid Sporting to take the player to France a year ago. And United’s minority shareholders INEOS will now be debating behind the scenes whether the fee is worth paying or whether Berge offers the club a more cost-efficient solution.

United have already made four signings this summer, with Erik ten Hag securing a double deal for Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui last week after landing Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee earlier this summer.

Zirkzee came off the bench to bag the winning goal in United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on Friday night, with De Ligt also coming on as a substitute after Mazraoui was named in the starting line-up.

Yoro, meanwhile, is currently absent after suffering a foot injury during his team’s pre-season friendly victory over Arsenal in Los Angeles.