Sunderland will face a fight to keep key midfielder Jobe Bellingham this summer if they fail to earn a place in the Premier League, according to TEAMtalk.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light almost since joining the club from Birmingham City in 2023. It’s easy to see why – Bellingham has been an ever-present under Regis Le Bris this season, playing a key role in the centre of the park. This has seen the Black Cats nestle themselves firmly in the play-off places where they will have a chance to return to the top tier for the first time since 2017.
With his brother Jude currently plying his trade at Real Madrid and widely regarded as one of the best players in world football, a number of clubs have been keeping tabs on Jobe’s development in the North East. He has been linked with both his sibling’s former club Borussia Dortmund, as well as his current club.
It appears as if his ambition is to play in the Premier League though, where a number of clubs are circling.
Premier League Giants Amongst Admirers
Manchester United’s interest in the playmaker is long-standing and they are once again named as a potential destination. It is claimed that Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion are also ready to swoop should he become available in the summer.
The report states that Bellingham would be ready to call time on his career on Wearside early should Sunderland fail to achieve promotion, with the Premier League the likely destination. News emerged earlier this week claiming that it would take a bid of £20 million to land his services, with the player under contract until 2028.
Bellingham has made 34 appearances so far this season, scoring four and assisting three.
Writer’s View
This feels like a huge couple of months for Sunderland. They have assembled a really talented squad which has appeared on the radar of a number of Premier League teams over the course of the past year or so. As a result, failure to secure promotion this season could see them become a target of a number of big clubs, where the likes of Bellingham, Chris Rigg, Dennis Cirkin and Anthony Patterson could all be the subject of big-money moves. Still, the silver lining is the Black Cats have all these players under contract, which could result in them having a big war chest to rebuild.
