Sheffield United caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom says he is still expecting Sander Berge to remain at Bramall Lane.

Reports have linked the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa with the Norwegian international but Heckingbottom claims that the Blades fully intend to keep the player so he can spearhead their promotion challenge next season:

“That will be out of my hands, maybe out of the club’s hands and maybe out of Sander’s hands, we don’t know, but certainly [we’re] expecting him to be [staying], yes. He’s our player, contracted and what a player he would be for us as well to help us get back into the Premier League.”

Berge’s future is likely to be a talking point for most of the summer. Despite United’s poor performances this campaign, the 23-year-old has been in impressive form, leading to speculation about a potential transfer.

Reports in Belgium, though, do suggest that the Norwegian’s former club Racing Genk have a 20% sell-on clause, which will inevitably push up the player’s asking price.

The Blades signed Berge for a club-record £22m fee in January 2020 and it is expected that the Yorkshire club will hold out for a fee in excess of £30m before agreeing to sell him.