Borussia Dortmund, where Jobe’s older brother Jude flourished before joining Real Madrid, have a longstanding interest in Sunderland’s teenager and are keen to secure a deal this summer.
But Dortmund have fierce competition from within the Bundesliga, with Bellingham having travelled to Germany this week to meet with Eintracht Frankfurt officials.
Frankfurt, like Dortmund, can offer the pull of Champions League football next season, having finished third in the German top flight. There’s also said to be interest from RB Leipzig.
What’s not clear at this stage is whether any Premier League clubs will make a strong play for Bellingham this summer. Crystal Palace are known to be admirers of the 19-year-old and have been strongly linked in the past.
Despite the fact Sunderland are now preparing for a return to the top flight after their play-off final success at the weekend, Bellingham looks increasingly likely to move on this summer.
As things stand, however, no club have agreed a deal with Sunderland, who are in a position of strength. Bellingham still has three years to run on his contract after signing an extension last summer.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Reports in Germany say Frankfurt are confident of landing Bellingham after this week’s visit, though claim the transfer fee could be a sticking point.
And Dortmund are still pushing hard, with chief executive Aki Watzke said to have visited Bellingham on Sunday, just 24 hours after Sunderland’s play-off final success.
Bellingham impressed at Wembley, capping a superb season for the former Birmingham City youngster who was named the Championship’s Young Player of the Year and included in the league’s Team of the Season.
After Sunderland’s dramatic Wembley success, Bellingham told Sky Sports: “The memories we’ve shared in the last couple of weeks with supporters are pictures that you will remember in your mind forever. For everyone, the supporters, the staff, the players, it means everything.
“It’s what we’ve been aiming to achieve. Every single player that comes here in recent years has made clear the desire to get the club back to the Premier League. So many have failed, but I take a lot of pride in saying I was one of the players who helped this club get back to where it belongs.
“I always believed. You have to. When you have supporters like this and a group of players like that, you have to believe. I know some doubted us, and that’s understandable. We lost a few games and people were talking about momentum. But I think we did enough and showed enough throughout the season to have at least deserved some credit going into the play-offs.
“We heard all the calls that we were too inexperienced, and this and that, but we just proved that doesn’t matter. Experience helps, of course, but at Sunderland, they’ve shown faith in us as young players. You earn experience from playing, and sometimes from failing. We’ve failed together so many times, but in the end we’ve come good. It’s great to be part of this great team. Every single player has made a name for themselves today. I’m just really proud.”
