Jobe Bellingham
Jobe Bellingham (Image: Getty Images)
Birmingham City academy product Jobe Bellingham is reportedly in Germany to hold talks with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt following the culmination of the season - and having helped Sunderland earn promotion to the Premier League.
Bellingham moved to the Stadium of Light, from Blues, in the summer of 2023 having been granted a pathway to the first-team at St Andrew's by former boss John Eustace, but he left to reunite with former academy staff Mike Dodds and Kristjaan Speakman on Wearside.
It's proven to be a fruitful move for him, too; the Black Cats struck in stoppage time to come from behind and beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday, thanks to a goal from youngster Tommy Watson, who is also leaving for Brighton and Hove Albion.
There has been much talk about Bellingham's future irrespective of Sunderland's fate this season; the midfielder, who has been a regular in the first-team for these past two years and who has made 90 appearances, scoring 11 goals, having played 26 times for Blues prior to his departure.
Now, Sky Sports report that he has flown to Germany, just days after that Wembley triumph, to discuss the potential of a move to the German top flight with Frankfurt, who won the Europa League in 2022 and who finished third this season, securing Champions League football for next year.
Borussia Dortmund, the former club of Jobe's brother Jude, who is now of course at Real Madrid, finished a position below Frankfurt and they're interested in Bellingham too, as well as RB Leipzig, who finished seventh and as a consequence don't have European football to offer their transfer targets this summer.
The future of Bellingham in the off season will be of interest to Blues, who it is believed are likely to earn a portion of the profit Sunderland make because of a sell-on clause inserted in the deal which took the midfielder to the North East two summers ago, a useful windfall if they to receive it which may go towards the budget for their own transfer plans.
What do you expect Blues to achieve next season? Tell us HERE
Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Birmingham City content.
Our dedicated reporters Alex Dicken and Brian Dick - you can follow Alex on X here and Brian here - follow Blues around the country and they offer you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Blues newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's Blues team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories and insight from in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Blues stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Blues as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.
Our weekly Birmingham City podcast, Keep Right On, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.
Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click 'Exit Group'. Read our Privacy Notice.