Sunderland ‘can gamble’ with a sale of Jobe Bellingham, although his true asking price is likely to be €30m.
That’s according to SportBILD, who report that Borussia Dortmund remain keen but might not have space for the midfielder.
The newspaper explains that while Dortmund like the 21-year-old the transfer fees of €20-25m which have been reported ‘will not be enough’ for him.
Instead, the figure that has ‘filtered through’ from Sunderland to the German club will be €30m. Bellingham has no release clause in his current deal and so the Black Cats ‘can gamble’ and push for a bigger price.
Dortmund have not shown a complete aversion to paying such a figure but there is a question about where there is room for Bellingham in the squad.
With Julian Brandt and Giovanni Reyna still in the squad, there is no space, particularly if they can’t sell the American as they want to. This is why director of football Sebastien Kehl is not going “all in” on the Bellingham poker for the time being.
Kehl has to find a solution to that issue and problems with players out on loan, such as Sebastien Haller and Youssoufa Moukoko. Until that is done, Bellingham wont be actively pursued.
That’s probably good news for Sunderland, who can keep the youngster for longer and perhaps even drive up his asking price further.
