What prompted Sheffield United to declare Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye 'off limits'
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Against the wishes of manager Paul Heckingbottom, members of United’s hierarchy held discussions with a number of Premier League clubs regarding the midfielder’s future over the weekend; forcing him to be withdrawn from the squad which faced Wrexham in the FA Cup on Sunday.
After being placed under a transfer embargo by the English Football League, it appeared as if Berge would be sold in order to help his employers settle the debt they owe relating to a previous signing.
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Hide AdBut sources at Bramall Lane confirmed that, following talks between Prince Abdullah and CEO Steve Bettis, it was decided that Berge would not be departing before tonight’s deadline.
“Prince Abdullah will not entertain any bids,” one well placed figure behind the scenes told The Star. “Conversations have happened between the board and Steve Bettis.”
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Two things are understood to have prompted United to withdraw from talks with the likes of Fulham, who had led the race for Berge’s services, Newcastle and at least two other top-flight sides. Crucially, none of Berge’s admirers were willing to meet United’s valuation of a player they purchased from Genk for £22m three years ago. One was willing to substantially improve the £12m Club Brugge reportedly offered for Berge last summer. But that plan, relayed to Prince Abdullah’s representatives over the weekend, was not followed up by a concrete bid. Newcastle, wary of breaching Financial Fair Play regulations, were more interested in the possibility of acquiring Berge on loan - albeit with a facility fee involved. But again, this proposal made little sense to United given Heckingbottom’s stance on the issue.
Second in the table and 12 points clear of third place, the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief’s employers also declared Iliman Ndiaye ‘off limits’ for the remainder of their promotion push.
Ndiaye, who has scored 10 goals so far this term, briefly appeared on Everton’s radar before confirming he had no interest in leaving at this stage of the campaign.