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All of the latest news on Jobe Bellingham’s future at Sunderland
With the summer transfer window right around the corner, speculation surrounding Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham continues to mount.
The teenager has been in impressive form for the Black Cats this season, and has carried his positive work onto the international stage too, registering an assist during England U21s’ 4-2 victory over Portugal on Monday evening. But as the starlet returns to Wearside ahead of the final stretch of Sunderland’s promotion push, there are still plenty of rumours doing the rounds about his long-term future in the North East. With that in mind, here are the latest whispers that you might have missed.
Bellingham ‘ticks boxes’ for Manchester United
Manchester United are one of several clubs who have been linked with Bellingham repeatedly in recent times, and according to a fresh update, the Red Devils are unlikely to cool their interest in the Sunderland talent any time soon.
As per transfer insider Ben Jacobs, speaking to GiveMeSport, United are keen on the teenager as he ticks several boxes in their new recruitment strategy under Sir Jim Ratcliffe - although Bellingham himself is not understood to be pushing for an immediate exit.
Jacobs said: “The player’s not really agitating for a move. There's nothing advanced yet between Manchester United and Jobe Bellingham. But what we can say about Manchester United is that part of Jim Ratcliffe’s sporting-led strategy is to lower the average age and to invest in home-grown talents. And Jobe Bellingham ticks both boxes.”
His comments come off the back of a previous update on Bellingham’s future in which he stated that Crystal Palace are actively pursuing a deal for the midfielder too. He said: "There is Premier League interest in Jobe Bellingham. Crystal Palace have already tried once, and they remain an active suitor.
“And Brentford are interested in Jobe Bellingham too, but it's a little bit too early to tell whether or not he's going to leave this summer, simply because, after he signed the new deal at Sunderland, contracting him until 2028, Jobe Bellingham was very keen not to rush his development.
“And actually, Jude Bellingham, his brother, made that point to him. And what we saw in the progression of Jude Bellingham was a very slow and meticulous decision making process to make sure that he didn't move too big too soon, and that for Jude Bellingham paid off."
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Borussia Dortmund‘s ‘outside chance’ of signing Bellingham
Elsewhere, German giants Borussia Dortmund are said to hold “at best an outside chance” of signing Bellingham this summer. The Bundesliga side were Jude Bellingham’s first club outside of England, and are understood to still be in contact with his family. But despite that connection, Ruhr Nachrichten reports that Dortmund’s chances of signing Jobe are slim, with several Premier League suitors said to be leading the race for his signature.
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