Fulham have signed midfielder, Sander Berge from Burnley for £25m.
Marco Silva’s Cottagers initially had pursued Manchester United’s Scott McTominay this summer, which led Utd to consider Berge as a replacement for the Scottish midfielder should he of joined Fulham.
Negotiations however hit a snag over Utd’s £30m asking price for McTominay, which paved the way for Fulham to swoop for Berge instead for an initial £20m fee plus £5m in add-ons totalling £25m.
Berge has signed a five-year contract with the Cottagers until June 2029, with an option to extend his stay for a further year.
Speaking to FFCtv, Berge described his top-flight return as “fantastic” and can’t wait to play under Marco Silva.
“It feels fantastic. It’s been a little bit back and forth the last few weeks, but I’m finally sitting here in the shirt in this beautiful stadium, knowing that my future is here, which feels great.
“Fulham has always been a team that excited me. I’ve played them both in the Championship and Premier League, and it’s fantastic how they play, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1.
“The DNA of the Club is to be dominant, aggressive, front-footed, and play nice football, and I think that suits me.”
Vice-Chairman and Director of Football Operations, Tony Khan added: “I’m excited to welcome Sander Berge to Fulham!
Sander has tremendous experience playing in the Premier League and in international competition, and we believe that he’ll be a great addition to our squad, as we look forward to our first home game of the season this weekend!”
Berge began his career at Norway’s Asker where he graduated through their academy to make nine appearances, before he moved to Valerenga then Genk with seven goals in 156 total appearances across both clubs.
January 2020 saw Berge join Sheffield United where he produced 15 goals and 12 assists in 109 appearances, until he switched to Burnley last summer where he contributed two goals and assists apiece.
Berge represents Norway internationally where he has scored one goal in 46 appearances since his senior debut, which came in March 2017 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland.
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