Jobe Bellingham has snubbed interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal to sign for Borussia Dortmund instead.
The younger brother of Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham had attracted a lot of transfer attention thanks to his impressive performances for Sunderland.
In 2024/25, he was named Championship Young Player of the Season as he helped the Black Cats get promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Sunderland were hopeful of keeping their best talents as they return to the top-flight for the first time in eight years, but it soon became clear that Jobe’s future lay away from the Stadium of Light.
Crystal Palace had long been linked with the 19-year-old, while Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal joined the race over the turn of the year, with the Blues ready to make a ‘big money’ move for him.
But it was also reported that the midfielder was more inclined to follow his brother’s example and move abroad, and that is exactly what he has done.
It is said Dortmund have agreed a €33million (£27.8m) deal with Sunderland for Jobe, with €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons and a 15 per cent sell-on clause.
It makes the teenager Sunderland’s most expensive sale and, if the add-ons are met, Dortmund’s most expensive signing, surpassing the £29.5m paid for Ousmane Dembele in 2016.
The Bundesliga giants will be hoping Jobe can have the same impact as Jude after the elder Bellingham enjoyed a highly-successful stint with the club from 2020 to 2023.
He subsequently moved to Real Madrid for around £113m and has established himself as one of the best footballers in the world.
Jobe was due to feature at the U21 Euros this summer for England but his participation is now in doubt as Dortmund are taking part in the revamped Club World Cup alongside Real, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Jobe Bellingham ‘100% ready for the big stage’
Man Utd may regret missing out on such a promising young talent, with ex-Sunderland defender Michael Gray previously tipping the teenager to make an immediate impact at Old Trafford.
‘He’s an outstanding talent that’s still probably got a bit to learn,’ he told Betfred in March.
‘One thing I would look at is that Amad Diallo went to Sunderland on loan and he was outstanding. He then goes back to Manchester United and he’s probably been their best player this season.
‘So when I take all that into consideration, then absolutely Jobe Bellingham could go to Manchester United.
‘When you look at what his brother’s achieved in a short period of time, I’m not saying that Jobe’s going to reach those levels, but he’s got all the ability in the world to be nearly as good as his brother.’
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