Birmingham City could be in line for a tidy sell-on windfall as transfer interest hots up in Jobe Bellingham despite Sunderland winning promotion to the Premier League
Jobe Bellingham is expected to leave Sunderland despite winning promotion to the Premier League.(Image: Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is reported to have interrupted Jobe Bellingham’s holiday this week to try to win an increasingly fierce transfer race for the former Birmingham City midfielder.
Bellingham, aged 19, is in high demand after playing a key role in Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League, and apparently has a price tag of about £25m. Blues are believed to earn a portion of any profit that Sunderland make because of a sell-on clause in the deal that took him to the Stadium of Light two years ago for a reported £3m.
It is claimed he flew to Germany a few days ago for talks with Eintracht Frankfurt before heading for a break in Ibiza with a group of friends, including older brother Jude, another former Blue who is now a key player at Real Madrid.
But the Northern Echo reports that Kehl followed the younger Bellingham out there and “held a private conversation… with Dortmund desperate to win the battle” for the England under-21s international.
The Echo adds: “RB Leipzig are also keen but are outsiders, with Dortmund and Frankfurt both able to offer Champions League football next season.
“Reports in Germany claim Bellingham has not yet made his mind up on his next move, although it would now be a surprise if he was to stay at Sunderland. Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on Bellingham’s situation but a move to the Bundesliga looks the most likely.”
The summer transfer window opens today. It will close again on Tuesday, June 10 because of the Club World Cup and then re-open on Monday, June 16 until deadline day on Monday, September 1.
Dortmund are involved in the Club World Cup and it has not been ruled out that Bellingham could be involved if he was to join them in time.
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