Jobe Bellingham has made a decision on his Sunderland future amid January transfer window interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.
The younger brother of Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham has been in superb form this season, playing a prominent role in the Black Cats’ push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Sunderland have slapped a £20 million price tag on the teenager’s head but are hopeful of keeping a player who cost them just 1.5m when he joined from Birmingham 18 months ago.
Arsenal and United are not expected to be overly active in the market this month but both clubs have scouted Bellingham regularly and are keen to position themselves in the running to sign a player earmarked for future senior international recognition.
According to The Sun, however, Bellingham has no plans to leave the north east club this month despite serious interest from a number of Premier League sides, including the likes of Crystal Palace.
Indeed, the talented midfielder is said to have his eye on a move to Europe in the summer to continue his development abroad and follow the path taken by his elder sibling who joined Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham, before his move to Real.
Bellingham is yet to speak directly about his future, but last month dropped a strong hint he was happy in the north east where he has quickly built a strong affinity with Sunderland’s supporters.
Speaking after a recent win over Swansea, he said: ‘I try and calm myself down most of the time, to be honest with you.
‘But when I score, I just seem to lose it, but I don’t know why. I just lose it, especially when it’s in front of the away fans and the manner of the win, which it was.
‘They’re unbelievable moments and that’s why you play football. They’re moments that you live for.
‘When there is a bit of adversity, that’s the reason you build your character so that you can come back from those moments and they don’t beat you up. Unbelievable, unbelievable moment. I love the fans, they’re amazing.
‘The support we get is second to none in the country. I think they’re the best in the country.
‘I’m so glad that they’ve come this far and they’ve seen a victory and there’s some big away days coming up as well, which, you know, Blackburn, where they’ve sold it out against 7,000, they’re insane, really.
‘The connection between all of us is massive, but for me personally, I just feel the fondness between the fans, and I love it. Long may it continue.’
The decision to snub interest from two of England’s biggest clubs might appear odd to some, but Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Bellingham is making the correction decision at this stage of his career.
Speaking to Plejmo.com, the Sky Sports pundit said: ‘Unequivocally, I would be staying at Sunderland for the rest of this season if I was Jobe Bellingham. Manchester United have been linked with a move for him in the summer and I think that makes perfect sense.
‘He’s a midfielder who can do literally everything. He can play the deep role, conventional or advanced. He can even play as a false nine. He can pass, he can dribble, he can run, he can tackle, he can create and he can score goals.
‘There’s been so much criticism over Manchester United’s lack of athleticism in midfield, so a move for Jobe makes sense. It might be a big step up and a gamble but he’s 19 and is only going to get better. He ticks every box for Man United and while it’s a different level, you just need to look at how his brother stepped up from Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund.
‘From his brother, we know that Jobe comes from a grounded family who give them both a lot of support. My advice to him would be, see the season out at Sunderland and you could be a Premier League player with them. If not, there will be lots and lots of opportunities on the table in the summer.’
MORE: Man Utd outcast Marcus Rashford given surprise escape route by former Arsenal and Chelsea star
MORE: Liverpool plot move for Bayern Munich star to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold
MORE: Arsenal vs Man United: Latest team news, predicted lineup and injuries
