Jobe Bellingham exit: £8.5m update as yet another bid made for Sunderland star
Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham has been at the centre of plenty of transfer speculation in recent months as some of Europe’s biggest clubs have circled around the midfielder.
The midfielder was instrumental in helping the Black Cats secure a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, but he now appears destined to move on before he can kick a ball for the club in the top flight.
Bellingham is understood to have agreed personal terms with Borussia Dortmund, having made the decision to follow in the footsteps of his older brother.
The 19-year-old will be a huge loss for Regis Le Bris’ side, after he was such a huge influence in their success last term.
Dortmund are still short of Sunderland’s valuation for Bellingham
Despite all the signs pointing towards Bellingham joining Dortmund, the German giants remain some way short of Sunderland’s valuation at present.
Terms are agreed between Dortmund and Bellingham himself, but the clubs still cannot reach an agreement.
The youngster is believed to have a release clause in his contract which is set at £33.7million, but Dortmund have only offered £25.2m at present, according to the print edition of The Sunday People (8 June, pg. 59)
BVB saw their initial offer rejected by the North East outfit, and their latest bid would be worth £21m up front with a further £4.2m in add-ons.
They are slowly increasing the money that is on the table for the Black Cats, who are adamant that they want his release clause to be met in full, regardless of previous suggestions that they may accept a slightly cut-price deal.
Sunderland will want to maximise the fee as much as possible
The embarrassment of riches that Sunderland have in terms of exciting, young players should help them to effectively cover the whole left by Bellingham if he does leave the club, but they will still be desperate to secure as high a fee as possible for him.
The likes of Chris Rigg, Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor all caught the eye in the attacking half of the pitch for Le Bris’ men last season, but Bellingham was the only one to be named in the Championship’s Team of the Season at the end of the campaign.
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 43 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023/24 | 45 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 88 | 11 | 4 |
He notched four goals and three assists on his way to winning the second tier’s Young Player of the Season award, and it’s no surprise that Sunderland see his potential as being sky high.
Bellingham is under contract at the Stadium of Light until the summer of 2028, so while he may have a desire to test himself on the biggest stage as quickly as possible, the Black Cats are in a position where they can ensure that he only leaves on their terms.
They will undoubtedly be desperate to ensure that his release clause is met in full, so they can make the most of every penny and reinvest that back into other areas of the squad to help strengthen their bid for survival.