Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham could follow in the footsteps of his brother Jude by making either of two moves, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both after him, as per reports.
Bellingham has been a star for Sunderland for the past two campaigns. After netting seven goals and one assist in the Championship last season, he has two goals and two assists this term.
That has helped the Black Cats to fourth in the second-tier table.
Bellingham might not be on hand to help them for much longer, though, with TBRFootball reporting Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are both closely watching him.
Both clubs have lodged his brother, Jude, and his current club, Real, are said to want to bring in young talent ‘as early as possible’ rather than having to pay inflated fees.
It seems it’s thought Bellingham will reach his brother’s level, and this would essentially see him skip the stepping stone Jude took, and be offered the huge transfer straight away.
Multiple Premier League sides, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, are also mentioned with interest in the Sunderland midfielder.
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Bellingham’s wait for elite pays off
TEAMtalk reported in July that Bellingham had decided against moving to the Premier League amid interest from Tottenham and Crystal Palace, as he wanted bigger things.
It does not get much bigger than Real, so it seems he was right to wait for them, knowing he was destined for that level.
A move there would see him unite with his brother, and potentially continue his journey to stardom, though seeing how Jude fared at Dortmund and became a global icon after, that move could be an important step on his own journey.
A move to Real would see the whole family able to reunite, given one parent lives with each brother at present, but football will take the priority, and whatever is seen as best for Bellingham Jr will be what is decided.
Real Madrid round-up: Palmer transfer back on?
It has been reported that Cole Palmer is a Real Madrid target, and subsequently that he has shown willingness to join the La Liga giants, but TEAMtalk is aware that he loves being at Chelsea too much to leave any time soon.
Real are, though, still confident they can get Trent Alexander-Arnold through the door, and feel they can even have him announced as a summer signing before the end of January.
Another potential Liverpool raid involves Alexis Mac Allister, with the recent Real target stating he “would definitely like” to play in Spain at some point.
Meanwhile, Real could land centre-back target Lisandro Martinez, as it’s suggested Manchester United could cash in on the Argentine.
Jobe Bellingham’s stats this season
Jobe Bellingham stats