Frankfurt’s £8.5m Jobe Bellingham plan becomes clear as Sunderland star makes his choice

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Borussia Dortmund may be about to win the race to sign Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham, but Eintracht Frankfurt cannot be accused of resting on their laurels.

EFL Analysis revealed earlier on Tuesday that, despite interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and perennial EFL diamond-unearthers Crystal Palace, Borussia Dortmund were set to sign Jobe Bellingham for a deal which could make him the most expensive export in Black Cats’ history.

That is a record currently held by Everton and England number one Jordan Pickford.

A record Bellingham may now be about to smash, with add-ons and bonuses potentially meaning Sunderland will bank over £30 million for a player who joined from Birmingham City for a tenth of that fee.

If Sunderland are disappointed about losing one of Regis Le Bris’ starters just a week-and-a-half after securing their return to the Premier League, then they are not the only ones.

Frankfurt plan without Jobe Bellingham as Sunderland star picks Dortmund

Eintracht Frankfurt gave Jobe Bellingham a guided tour around their training ground and their Commerzbank Arena stadium at the end of May. Face-to-face talks were held with Markus Krosche, the highly-rated sporting director who never misses the chance to point out that Frankfurt have an exceptional record with developing young players.

Bellingham could have emulated Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush at Frankfurt, not to mention Randal Kolo Muani, Sebastien Haller and PSG’s Champions League-winning central defender William Pacho.

Instead, he will look to extend Dortmund’s proud tradition of turning ambitious fresh-faced Englishmen into household names. A tradition which heralds Jude Bellingham – Jobe’s elder sibling – as its pristine posterboy.

Back at the 2022 Europa League winners, meanwhile, the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reports that Frankfurt have responded to Bellingham’s choice ‘without emotion’. The Eagles value the silky midfielder at around £25 million. Less than the fee Sunderland are holding out for.

‘Eintracht considers such a sum to be too much,’ the publication adds. ‘For a player who has only played in the English second division so far.’

Bundesliga outfit turn to Ligue 1 and Denmark for alternatives

Frankfurt have also only signed one player in excess of £20 million – striker Elye Wahi – across their entire history. There are reservations, at the Commerzbank Arena, about whether Bellingham can develop rapidly enough to earn the club a considerable enough profit a few years down the line.

With the much-admired Hugo Ekitike now expected to leave Frankfurt for a fee well over the £50 million mark, the reports claim that Dino Toppmoller’s side are now in advanced talks to sign another attack-minded, 19-year-old schemer. Victor Froholdt should arrive for around £8.5 million.

They also like the elegant Swede Sebastian Nanasi, though he would cost a lot more than Froholdt having blossomed in France following his 11 million euro switch to Strasbourg a year ago. His is another trademark Frankfurt signing. Another young attacker ready to explode.

Fortunately, with Krosche calling the shots, the future looks bright at the Commerzbank even without Jude Bellingham.