Following a disappointing Championship campaign, Sunderland could now suffer a further blow in the summer transfer window, with one European giant eyeing a move to sign their star midfielder.
Sunderland transfer news
The campaign started with plenty of promise for the Black Cats, who found themselves in and around the top six once again. However, a shock decision to part ways with Tony Mowbray in favour of Michael Beale soon spelt disaster. Sunderland dropped out of the play-off race entirely before ending their Beale experiment and welcoming Mike Dodds on an interim basis.
Now left without a manager, those at the Stadium of Light have got to make the right call this summer, whether that results in the arrival of Paul Heckingbottom or another option to take charge.
Whoever is in charge could suffer an instant blow in the form of exit news, however, with the Black Cats reportedly in need of a major sale following an operating loss of £9m in the 2022/23 season, which could see Jobe Bellingham depart.
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According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Borussia Dortmund are eyeing a move to sign Bellingham this summer in what would be a repeat of their deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City in 2020. Jobe, now 18 years old, would be making the move just one year older than the age his older brother was when swapping English football for the Championship.
Everyone knows all about the rise Jude has enjoyed since too, in a path that his younger brother may be desperate to repeat, starting with leaving Sunderland this summer.
"Great" Bellingham can follow in brother's footsteps
Replacing one Bellingham with another feels like all too simple business, but it's something that Dortmund may well find themselves doing this summer, having struggled to find such a player following the England international's departure last year. Jobe has shown plenty of signs of possessing similar talent though, having scored seven goals and assisted once to end a solid debut season with an impressive eight goal involvements.
Earning plenty of fans in Wearside, Mowbray praised Bellingham earlier in the season, saying via The Northern Echo: "He acts like a seasoned pro, and demands standards, even in small sided games he wants to win. You can see he has a very focused driven thought pattern on where he is going and how he is going to get there. And that is to try to be excellent in everything you do. It’s a great mentality. It helps our team to have someone so young."
Whilst his exit would deal Sunderland a frustrating blow, it would at least ease any financial concerns ahead of next season, perhaps allowing them to steer their attention back towards regaining their place in the Championship's top six, whoever may be in charge.