Borussia Dortmund are continuing their efforts to sign Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland, although he really wants to play in the Premier League next season.
That’s according to SportBILD, who cover Dortmund’s efforts for the Sunderland star today and a recent meeting between the various parties.
The newspaper explains that Dortmund’s chances of signing Bellingham will be increased if they can secure a place in the Champions League next season. That’s still to be determined as they make a late push in the Bundesliga.
Efforts have already been made to convince the Sunderland midfielder on the move, though, with Bellingham their number one target for the summer transfer window. They are willing to pay Sunderland €25-30m for him.
A ‘high-ranking’ delegation from Dortmund consisting of Sports director Lars Ricken, Sports Director Sebastian Kehl, manager Niko Kovac and chief scout Sebastian Krug, have already travelled to England to speak to the midfielder.
They met Bellingham alongside his father Mark, with Dortmund wanting the Sunderland man to get to know Kovac in particular.
The German delegation emphasised two points in that meeting; that Bellingham will be a key player in Kovac’s plans and that they don’t want to repeat his brother Jude’s story. They want Jobe to make his own story.
They’ve been monitoring Jobe for years and have scouted him live more than ten times. This has been going on throughout his career, including at Sunderland. They like everything about him and want to win the race for his signature.
The problem is that they’re not the only interested party, with both Milan clubs also keen and the entire Premier League, including the top clubs, also watching him.
Dortmund’s chances of beating them are dependent on qualifying for the Champions League, but efforts have already been made to convince Bellingham to follow his brother’s path to Dortmund.
