Leeds United’s return to the Premier League alongside Burnley and Sunderland sees their former EFL rivals already subject to significant player exit speculation.
Building on your Championship promotion-winning squad is of course a must when approach Premier League survival, but both of Leeds’ rivals could be pegged back before they’ve even started pre-season.
Burnley’s ongoing contract discussions with CJ Egan-Riley and Josh Brownhill leave them susceptible, while it’s a poorly kept secret that Jobe could be heading out of Sunderland.
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Fabrizio Romano confirms agreement for Leeds United’s rivals Sunderland to sell Jobe to Borussia Dortmund
Despite being a huge presence in Regis Le Bris’ midfield throughout this season, there was always the chance that Jobe could be moving onto bigger things despite promotion.
Reports have been rife about Borussia Dortmund’s interest in the midfielder, notably having progressed the career of older brother Jude Bellingham before his £88million move to Real Madrid.
(Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs)
Now, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Jobe, Sunderland and Dortmund have all agreed for the midfielder to join the Bundesliga giants this month.
“Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, here we go! €33m fixed fee, €5m add-ons to Sunderland… and also 15% sell-on clause.
“Record sale for #SAFC and huge fee after initial €20m bid rejected. Excellent addition for BVB. Another Bellingham in Dortmund!”
Leeds’ survival rivals for the 25/26 season will be in line for a club record £32million package for the 19-year-old’s exit, but obviously with a sizeable hole to fill in the process.
Jobe a big loss for Sunderland and one player that could have easily made the step to Premier League football
There’s a big misconception around the quality that Jobe has and it often comes with discussions about how talented his brother is, but the fact of the matter is that Sunderland are losing a crucial player here.
The money they’re getting in this transaction is very hard to turn down for a 19-year-old with top flight experience, but if any player in their side has the mentality and athleticism, coupled with technical ability, to make the grade in the Premier League, it’s him.
Their recruitment team has been able to recruit very well on a limited budget, Jobe being one example, but losing such a vital player in midfield is going to leave them shorter heading into pre-season.
Meanwhile, Leeds are not under any pressure when it comes to seeing star players wanted by other clubs higher up the food chain, which is ideal.