Chelsea's midfield search was triggered by the £125 million sale of Enzo Fernández to Manchester City on deadline day, a departure the club had long prepared for by targeting a replacement in the closing days of the window.
Koné had looked the likelier arrival for most of deadline day, but according to David Ornstein, complications on Roma's side over the timing of any deal meant Chelsea also explored other possibilities, with Berge's name emerging as an alternative fallback alongside Monaco's Lamine Camara.
The Norway international's versatility, capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or in a more advanced role, would have given Chelsea a different profile from either Koné or Camara rather than a direct like-for-like replacement for Fernández.
No formal bid was made for the 28-year-old, and Fulham made clear he was not for sale, ending any possibility of a switch across west London. Berge joined the Cottagers from Burnley in 2023, initially in a deal worth around £20 million, and has made 78 appearances since, establishing himself as an important presence in Fulham's midfield under Álvaro Arbeloa.
Chelsea instead settled on Camara as their leading target, believing they had agreed a £47 million deal in the closing hour of the window, only for the move to collapse minutes before deadline. With time running out, focus shifted to Koné, but that pursuit also fell short, leaving Chelsea to enter the new season without a direct Fernández replacement. Reports that the club had also made a deadline-day approach for Everton's James Garner were denied by Toffees manager David Moyes.
The gap was laid bare in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, where Xabi Alonso finished the match with the right-backs Reece James and Malo Gusto operating in central midfield.
Chelsea are expected to prioritise a new midfielder in January, with Bournemouth's Alex Scott among their long-term targets, though there is some relief in west London that Moises Caicedo is expected to be fit for Saturday's home game against Hull after missing the Arsenal defeat through injury.