Jobe Bellingham. (George Wood/Getty Images)
Manchester United is set for a summer battle with Dortmund for the signature of Sunderland and England U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham. The younger brother of Real Madrid’s Jude, Jobe Bellingham has shone bright for the Championship side. TalkSport has reported that the younger Bellingham brother could be set for a move away from the club.
Dortmund are of course buoyed by the fact that Jobe wouldn’t be the first Bellingham to join their ranks. Jude Bellingham enjoyed a successful three season stint with the German club, making 132 appearances in all competitions before his 2023 blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
The German club could hold another advantage, in the shape of their UK scout Daniel Dodds, who coached Jobe at Birmingham City and Sunderland, and has a good relationship with the family. Jobe could be set to follow in the footsteps of his older brother.
Like Jude, Jobe spent his youth career with Birmingham. While Jude left Birmingham for Germany, Jobe stayed countryside – joining Sunderland in 2023. The 19-year-old has since featured 87 times for the Black Cats, scoring 11 goals and contributing another four.
He has 40 appearances so far this season, a number that will rise when Sunderland enter the Championship play-offs on Friday night. They face Coventry City away in the first leg of the semi-finals, but are reeling from 5 defeats out of their last 6 matches.
Younger Bellingham attracting interest
United will be hoping Jobe Bellingham might fancy carving his own path away from his brother, and seek instead to test himself in the Premier League. Should Sunderland fail to overcome Coventry in the semi-finals or Bristol City/Sheffield United in the final, Jobe would miss out on the chance to play in England’s top flight.
Sunderland in fact haven’t played in the Premier League since they were relegated at the end of the 2016/17 season. Should this trend continue, Bellingham could well decide to take matters into his own hands by joining the Red Devils this summer.
Should the Black Cats achieve promotion though, the player could of course decide to stay and continue his development at the club.
That is all speculation for now, and Jobe will surely be fully focused on finishing the season strong before addressing his future.
A powerful runner with the ball, Bellingham can play as either a midfielder or a forward. He has a knack for making late runs into the box, popping up in positions to bag goals and wreak havoc.
He is tipped for a big future regardless of which path he chooses to take.
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