Chelsea ‘line up move for Sunderland starlet Jobe Bellingham’ – but face stiff competition from European heavyweights
Chelsea are reportedly among a trio of European heavyweights eyeing up a move for Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham.
Jobe, younger brother of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, has been making waves in the Championship with the Black Cats, who are vying for promotion back to the Premier League this season.
He’s said to have earned the interest of a number of clubs, and The Sun claim it’s Chelsea that are prepared to outbid any other suitor.
It’s reported that Chelsea are keen to maintain a strong domestic contingent in their squad, with the inclusion of homegrown players being ever-important in England’s top flight.
Bellingham is currently on a similar career path to that of his older brother, already making his mark in the England setup with the under-21s.
He now may look to make the step up beyond the Championship – but unlike Jude, Chelsea will hope he opts to stay in the English system to join the London giants.
Sunderland star Jude Bellingham has attracted interest from a trio of European heavyweights
Chelsea are reportedly ready to outbid any other potential suitor for Bellingham this summer
Bellingham has been at the heart of Sunderland’s push for Premier League promotion this term
Enzo Maresca will hope to ward off interest from overseas, with Borussia Dortmund reportedly looking to continue the Bellingham legacy in black and yellow by bringing the 19-year-old to the Ruhr this season.
Admiration of Bellingham from the Bundesliga does not stop at the Westfalenstadion, with reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen also keeping tabs on the midfielder.
Sunderland are keen to keep Bellingham at the club beyond this season and hope promotion will help in that pursuit.
However, with the Black Cats eight points off the automatic promotion spots with 10 games to go, it looks increasingly likely that they will have to rely on the play-offs to return to the Premier League.
This means they’ll likely have to overcome one Leeds United, Sheffield United or Burnley – the Championship’s high-flyers who have been engaged in a three-horse race for the automatics in recent months.
If Sunderland don’t go up, a move away for Bellingham could be on the cards, with Chelsea among the sides on red alert.
Bellingham reportedly has a value of £40milllion, but strong interest from multiple suitors could see a bidding war push his price up.
The midfielder has played 32 times in the Championship this season, scoring four goals and notching three assists.
