Inside Jobe Bellingham transfer battle as Ibiza talks held with Sunderland star
Jobe Bellingham is attracting strong interest from Germany but the exciting young midfielder could yet stay in the Premier League after helping Sunderland win promotion via the Championship play-offs
Earlier this week, Eintracht Frankfurt rolled out the red carpet for Jobe Bellingham. Upon touchdown in Germany on Monday afternoon, the 19-year-old Sunderland midfielder and his parents, Mark and Denise, were collected from the airport by an Eintracht delegate and shown around the club's facilities.
Following a commendable third-place finish in the Bundesliga, the 2022 Europa League winners have secured Champions League qualification and they've been angling to make Bellingham one of the faces of their ambitious project.
Insiders have made no secret of the fact Eintracht were "going all out" to land the Championship play-off winner but problematically, they've also been faced with strong competition from domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund.
BVB boast a unique advantage, of course, because Jobe's older brother and role model Jude became a global phenomenon during a highly-successful three-year spell at Signal Iduna Park before moving to Real Madrid in an £88.5million deal in the summer of 2023.
But crucially, the gist of Dortmund's pitch to the Bellingham family has not been entirely centred around the England international maestro - because they believe Jobe is a mercurial talent capable of forging his own legacy at the club.
So much so, the German giants are willing to blow the crux of their limited summer transfer budget, which could yet be bolstered by Club World Cup prize money, on the highly-coveted teenager.
In early May, Dortmund chiefs Lars Ricken and Sebastian Kehl and head coach Niko Kovac were pictured arriving in the North East for private discussions with the player.
Departing CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has since flown to England for fresh talks with the England U21 international. There has also been interest from RB Leipzig but their failure to qualify for European competition has hampered transfer plans as they must sell before they can buy.
Following the conclusion of his flying visit to Frankfurt, Bellingham jetted off to Ibiza to reflect on the proposals and enjoy some downtime with close friends and Jude.
He might have been on holiday but that didn't stop Dortmund director Kehl from swooping to the Balearic Islands to hold yet another meeting with Bellingham.
After finally sealing their long-awaited return to the Premier League following an eight-year absence, Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is determined to keep hold of Regis Le Bris' most-prized assets.
But the reality is, The Black Cats remain a selling club and if Bellingham opts to further his career overseas, Sunderland will have no option but to consider offers. Birmingham City also have a 15 per cent sell-on clause which will undoubtedly be factored into any impending negotiations.
Bellingham was loosely courted by Crystal Palace last summer but there were no formal bids and while he has been scouted by a number of top Premier League clubs including Tottenham, Champions League football is on offer in the Bundesliga. In Germany, English football has long been viewed as a hotbed for young talent where untapped potential is rife.
Jadon Sancho and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens are also among the growing list of stars to have propelled their game to new heights in the Bundesliga in recent seasons and Bellingham is now viewed as the next English world-beater capable of conquering Deutschland.
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