Jobe Bellingham is attracting interest from the Premier League after a stellar first season at Sunderland.
Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund have been linked with the Sunderland midfielder in recent weeks with Tottenham and Newcastle United also said to be keen. The two latest clubs reportedly keen on a deal for Bellingham are Brentford and Crystal Palace, with the player valued at around £12million.
The 18-year-old made 45 Championship appearances during his first season on Wearside, after arriving from Birmingham last summer, scoring seven goals for the Black Cats. Jobe predominantly played in midfield during the 2023-24 season but has also succeeded in a more advanced role as a number nine or off the frontman.
Though the length of Bellingham’s contract was not disclosed when he joined the Black Cats last summer, it’s understood that it still has three years left to run as revealed by The Echo last week. However, further reports have revealed new details about the deal between Sunderland and Birmingham City for Jobe.
The Daily Mail states that Birmingham will be due a 15 per cent sell-on fee if Jobe is sold by Sunderland owing to a clause between the two clubs. The report says that the Blues will get a portion of the sale price if a Premier League club come in for him.
After the conclusion of the 2023-24 Championship season, Jobe sat down with Sunderland’s in-house media team for an in-depth video interview on his first full senior campaign as a first-team regular.
“I encourage everyone to play football here,” Jobe said about coming to Sunderland during the interview. “And the North East is great in terms of people, how generous they are. I’ve not had one bad encounter with people on the streets in good and bad times. When they come up to me, they’re so polite, they’re so kind and they always have nice things to say. And that goes both ways, of course.
“But no, it’s been a real positive experience in terms of people. I can’t thank the fans enough for the support and just the generosity, really, they’ve shown me. I would definitely embrace it, the culture, and I’d recommend anyone to embrace it wherever they go. But I’ve really tried to embrace the club and the area as well. And that’s not hard, I don’t find, really.
“It’s just getting out and getting about and seeing what there is. Because I’ve spent all my life in the same area, the same club. And I feel like I’ve been here much longer than a year, to be honest with you. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but yeah.
“I’ve tried to embrace the area and the club and the fans and the people as much as I can. And I think it’s really helped me, definitely. As you say, it’s helped me in bedding to the club and the area. So yeah, I’m really pleased with it. I’ve not really thought about anything to do next season yet.”