A week of intense negotiations finally resulted in a financial agreement earlier today, with Sunderland set to receive a club-record fee for Bellingham.
Borussia Dortmund will pay an initial fee of around €33m, which is significantly more than they were offering when discussions began at the start of the month.
The deal to take the 19-year-old to Signal Iduna Park will also include around €5m of potential add-ons, which should be triggered over the course of Bellingham’s deal in Germany, which is expected to be a five-year contract.
Sunderland are also understood to have negotiated a sell-on clause of 15 per cent, which will see them benefit if Bellingham is sold on from Dortmund for a profit in the future.
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Dortmund officials are keen to complete the deal ahead of Tuesday’s deadline as that would enable them to name the midfielder in their squad for the Club World Cup in the United States that begins next weekend.
If Bellingham is selected as part of the Borussia Dortmund squad for the tournament, he will be withdrawn from the England squad for the European Under-21 Championships in Switzerland. Lee Carsley’s Three Lions side are due to play their opening game of that tournament against Czechia on Thursday.
Bellingham will leave Wearside two years after signing for Sunderland from Birmingham City for a fee of around £30m.
The midfielder has made 90 senior appearances for the Black Cats, scoring 11 goals, and was a key part of Regis Le Bris’ squad that won promotion to the Premier League last season.
He started 39 of Sunderland’s 46 matches during the regular Championship season, and also started all three of the club’s play-off games, including the final at Wembley.
His departure will create a gap in central midfield which Sunderland’s recruitment team will attempt to fill this summer.
