Will Sasa Lukic to Fulham impact Sheffield United star Sander Berge's future?

However it is looking increasingly unlikely they or anyone else will be able to agree terms which suit the Blades as they look to clear their transfer embargo and add a couple of players in the space of a few hours.

That Berge was reportedly training at Shirecliffe on deadline-day morning suggests as much.

Lukic is set to become Fulham's first transfer of the window, with the 26-year-old holding or box-to-box midfielder expected to cost around £8m.

Berge is a highly adaptable midfielder, capable of playing both those roles, wide on the right or in the hole behind a striker.

The Blades are currently banned from registering new players because of an unpaid transfer instalment. As soon as the overdue money is lodged with the Football League, they will be allowed to do business again but the longer the issue drags on, the greater the threat of further sanctions.

Manager Paul Heckingbottom was looking to add another forward to his promotion-chasing squad after Reda Khadra, unhappy at his lack of match-time, was recalled from a loan by Brighton and Hove Albion and moved on to Birmingham City.

Berge being sold would solve the clun's cashflow issues but obviously leave another key player to be replaced.

The Norwegian has a buy-out clause thought to be well in excess of the £22m they paid for him. If that is met, they are powerless to stop a sale.

There was plenty of interest in the last window but the Bramall Lane hierarchy refused to sell for less. This time around, clubs will have been hoping their off-field problems weakened their resolve but at this stage it does not seem to be the case. Brighton, likely to need a replacement for Moises Caicedo today, and Newcastle United, set to lose Jonjo Shelvey to Nottingham Forest have also been linked, along with Napoli.

Heckingbottom insists Berge wants to stay and has said many times it would be "foolish" to sell him without replacing him when a lucrative promotion to the Premier League is at stake.

He does, however, have to be ready for all eventualities and has given the club a list of targets, with former Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O'Brien – currently out of favour at Forest – thought to be on it.