Report: Chelsea looked to sign 24-year-old Championship star on loan on deadline day before Zakaria deal

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Reports suggest that Chelsea made an attempt to sign Sheffield United’s Sander Berge on loan before they ended up bringing in Denis Zakaria.

According to The Star, the Blues were informed that the Blades were not keen on considering temporary offers for the 24-year-old, and he remained at the club for now at least.

After a poor start to the season, it became clear that the Blues were looking to add to their midfield before the window closed.

After N’golo Kante went down with an injury in just the second game of the season, the club have struggled to fill the void left by the Frenchman.

They have utilised a number of midfield partnerships, with a lot of them struggling to compete in a number of matchups in the middle of the park.

Conor Gallagher was kept this season after an impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace, however has struggled so far to make the step up required to be a Chelsea midfielder.

Chelsea wanted Berge

Under Thomas Tuchel, he was often utilised in a role more suited to the likes of Jorginho, which is far from the position he excelled in at Selhurst Park.

The Blues eventually added Denis Zakaria on deadline day, however The Star have claimed they went for Berge beforehand.

In Sheffield United’s spell in the Premier League, Berge showed that he was far better than to be playing in the Championship.

He appears to have added goals and assists this season too, with him scoring three and assisting as many in just 10 appearances this season.

It is believed that the club will be back in the market for another midfielder in future transfer windows, with them heavily linked with a deal for Ajax’s Edson Alvarez, who the club also tried to sign on deadline day.