Sunderland respond as Brentford take action in £20m+ transfer race with Crystal Palace, Southampton
Sunderland rejected Brentford’s bid for Jobe Bellingham.
Multiple clubs, including Crystal Palace and Southampton, are interested in Bellingham.
Jobe Bellingham had a successful first season at Sunderland, scoring 7 goals and providing 1 assist in 47 appearances.
Sunderland are said to have turned down at least one formal offer from Premier League side Brentford for £20 million-plus rated midfielder Jobe Bellingham.
That is according to The Northern Echo, who indicate that there could have been multiple bids made by the London side for the young midfielder.
Sunderland are in for a busy summer as the club tries to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The Black Cats’ search for a new manager took longer than expected, but they have now confirmed Regis Le Bris’ appointment, and focus will have swiftly turned to their transfer plans.
Sunderland will hope the focus is on what players they bring into the club rather than which ones exit, but it appears earlier on in this transfer window that it is possible departures that are dominating the headlines.
Brentford take Jobe Bellingham action
Since the Championship season ended, there have been several reports about the future of Jobe Bellingham at Sunderland.
It was claimed earlier in May that Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund were keen on signing the midfielder.
It then emerged that Premier League side Crystal Palace were in talks with Bellingham over a deal, as he is one of their priorities for the summer. In the same update from Fabrizio Romano, he stated that Brentford were also interested in the young midfielder.
As well as these sides being interested, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest in the last few weeks.
Romano recently stated that Palace are still working on a deal to sign Bellingham, but it appears as though they still face stiff competition.
According to The Northern Echo, Sunderland have turned down at least one formal offer from Brentford to sign the 18-year-old.
The report doesn’t state how much the offer was, but it was clearly not good enough for the Black Cats to consider selling.
Jobe Bellingham’s 2023/24 stats for Sunderland
There is a lot of hype around Jobe Bellingham, and it has been for a while now, given that his brother Jude is performing ever so well on the world stage.
But Jobe is also impressing, and he has been since breaking through at Birmingham City and since he joined Sunderland last summer.
The midfielder’s move to the Stadium of Light was a chance for the 18-year-old to play regular football for a Championship team.
That is what he did last season, as Bellingham played in all but one league game throughout last season, scoring seven goals and recording one assist in the process.
It was a very successful first season at the club; the only disappointment would have been that Sunderland failed to challenge for a play-off spot.
