Jobe Bellingham Could Join Shock Club in January After Dortmund Struggles
Jobe Bellingham has been linked with a massive transfer in the winter window as he continues to struggle at new club Borussia Dortmund.
After a spectacular campaign that saw them secure a spot in the play-offs last season, Sunderland secured promotion to the Premier League win a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in final.
Key to Sunderland's success across the season was Bellingham, the younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, who made 43 appearances for the northern club throughout the season.
After helping Sunderland secure their promotion to the top-flight, many expected Bellingham to remain at the club for the 2024-25 season, but he instead decided to make a move to join his brother's former club Borussia Dortmund.
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However, the move hasn't gone exactly to plan, leading to a new report that he could make a shock move away from the Bundesliga club as soon as the upcoming winter transfer window.
Just weeks after Sunderland won the play-off final, Bellingham completed a move to the German club for a reported fee of £32million including add-ons, the highest transfer fee a newly promoted Premier League club had ever received.
Since then, the 20-year-old has made 15 appearances for Dortmund, with just two of them being Bundesliga starts, leading to rumours that he could return to England in January.
Initial reports suggested that the England Under-21 could make a move to Manchester United, but now Bellingham has been linked with a return to Sunderland on a short-term loan.
The report comes from former Everton chief Keith Wyness, who spoke about the rumours surrounding the young Englishman during the latest episode of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.
“I don’t see Bellingham to Man United going anywhere," Wyness claimed.
"The only thing that I’m hearing that could possibly happen is a loan back to Sunderland. That might make the most sense of all. It’s where he’d feel comfortable and try and get things back on track.
"He’s not had the best start to the season, and I think that would make sense for him and for Sunderland.
“Bellingham might do well to come back to somewhere he’s well received and get the confidence of playing Premier League football in a decent set-up."
Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with a move for Bellingham after scouts were reportedly tracking him before his transfer to Dortmund.
Wyness' claim comes after reports that Bellingham's dad, Mark, banned from the Dortmund's dressing room after expressing his annoyance at his son's lack of minutes.
Bellingham's dad's anger eventually led to him addressed sporting director Sebastian Kehl about the treatment of his son, forcing Dortmund to release an official statement from Kehl about the matter.
In a statement following Dortmund’s 3-3 draw away at St. Pauli, Kehl acknowledged the disappointment of surrendering a two-goal lead but insisted that the “active area is and remains reserved for players, coaches, and management, not families and advisors”.
Therefore, it's likely that, should a return to Sunderland become a possibility, Mark Bellingham would be highly supportive of the move.
Topics: Borussia Dortmund, Sunderland, Transfer News, Football, Premier League, Bundesliga
Ben McCrum