Jose Mourinho pushes Fenerbahce towards big-money midfielder transfer as Burnley set their price tag

Fenerbahce are increasingly confident that a deal can be struck to sign Sander Berge, with Jose Mourinho pushing hard for a deal and TEAMtalk revealing the price Burnley have placed on the Norwegian’s head.

Mourinho took over as manager of the Turkish giants this summer after being sacked by Roma and has made the Norwegian his top target having already signed former Newcastle United striker Allan Saint-Maximin on loan from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.

There are two other names on their list, but it is currently headed by Berge, who is keen to leave Burnley following their relegation to the Championship. He moved to Turf Moor from Sheffield United last summer.

Burnley, now under the management of Scott Parker following Vincent Kompany’s departure to Bayern Munich this summer, want £20m for the midfielder but Fenerbahce are confident that the loss of Premier League status means they can negotiate a significantly lower price.

There has already been contact between Berge and Fenerbahçe, but the most important thing is that there is still no agreement with the selling club.

Mourinho, who is seeking to win a league title in a fifth country after doing so in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, has been coy in his transfer approach since joining the Turkish club. But he has said he is not planning to reunite with players he previously coached, most pertinently at Roma.

“I didn’t talk to anyone about transfers. I wanted to see the project and the stability. We didn’t talk about names, but about profiles. We never talked about names.

“To be more precise, I didn’t mention any players from the clubs I worked with in the past. I didn’t mention any Roma players. What we need to do now is do our job calmly.”

However, he examined the possibility of signing Tottenham captain Son Heung-min when he arrived in June and was also said to have been interested in Jadon Sancho’s current uncertainty at Manchester United.

Berge, 26, is seen as an ideal player for Mourinho because he is a player with the right age and physical ability to play alone in midfield and, at the same time, become a leader in the team.

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Parker has already admitted the Clarets may need to sell some players because they have a big squad ahead of a crucial season as they look to secure instant promotion back to the top flight.

Fenerbahçe keen to sign Burnley midfielder

The new manager says he expects support from the board when it comes to decision-making. EFL rules stipulate there can only be 25 senior players – aged 21 or over – named in the squad for the season.

“Yes, there will be that support if and when needed,” Parker said.