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Jobe Bellingham looks likely to leave Sunderland just days after victory in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United.
Jobe Bellingham’s footballing future is up in the air, as the Sunderland midfielder flew to Germany for transfer talks, just days after the Black Cats beat Sheffield United to Premier League promotion.
Borussia Dortmund were believed to be in pole position to sign Bellingham this summer, but Eintracht Frankfurt have stepped up their efforts following the play-off final win, with the two German top flight sides racing to secure his signature.
Bellingham has been instrumental to the club’s promotion under Regis Le Bris, notching seven goal contributions in 43 Championship appearances, which saw him scoop the second tier Young Player of the 2024/25 season award.
As the former Birmingham City youngster looks destined to depart Wearside, one outspoken pundit has questioned the move he has labelled as “curious”.
Simon Jordan questions Jobe Bellingham’s looming Sunderland departure
Black Cats ace Bellingham looks poised to follow in the footsteps of his brother Jude, who departed boyhood club Blues for the Bundesliga, instead of a move to the Premier League.
With the German top flight sides circling for the younger brother’s signature, TalkSport pundit Simon Jordan has questioned why Bellingham would want to depart Sunderland after their Premier League promotion, instead of playing in the English top flight next season.
Former Crystal Palace owner Jordan said on TalkSport: “This young man’s part of a side that’s got promoted back to the Premier League, and so he’s landing in the land where the best players want to play at some point.
“He’s also under contract, so I’m assuming one of two things has happened.
“There’s either an in-built release clause in his contract, which means that Sunderland don’t have any say in whether he can go and talk to somebody, or they’ve got the indication from the club that might be interested in him that they’re going to meet the release clause.
“Or, Sunderland are comfortable in allowing him to go and speak to a German football club one day after they’ve got promoted, I’m not entirely sure I’d be that amused by that sort of exercise, being about the individual rather than the club.
“The only thing I can assume, is that it’s a release clause that’s triggered this opportunity.
“But, Sunderland are a Premier League football club now, with all the opportunities that exist as a result of it, so it is not the same move as his brother.
“Jude Bellingham going to Dortmund at the time from a Championship club like Birmingham, that wasn’t flying at the time, and even as I said, closed its academy and used the £30 million pound transfer fee to support itself economically,
“Sunderland doesn’t have that challenge. It’s got a billionaire owner, and they’ve now got the riches of the Premier League. So it’s a curious one.”
Sunderland will bank a staggering fee upon their Premier League return and automatically sign Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee permanently.
The Black Cats’ sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, has admitted sales are “important”, but Bellingham has proven throughout the 2024/25 campaign that he’d be capable of Premier League standard football.
Sunderland ace Jobe Bellingham has proven he is Premier League quality
Bellingham’s exploits this season have cemented him as a future England international and one of the Championship’s finest talents.
His combative defensive work, combined with his innate ability to affect the final third with late runs into the box, has made the 19-year-old a menace for second tier defences to deal with throughout the campaign.
Archie Gray departed Leeds United for Spurs last year in a deal worth around £30 million, in a deal similar to Bellingham’s in terms of the profile, quality, and potential of both players.
In his first season at Spurs, Gray has made 28 Premier League appearances and 11 in their victorious Europa League campaign, proving himself capable at the highest level.
Gray has set the standard for young talent making the jump, and Bellingham can similarly prove himself, which begs the question of why the highly-rated midfielder wishes to depart Wearside before enjoying the top flight fruits of his Sunderland labour.