Bellingham set to join Dortmund as second most expensive signing ever | OneFootball

Sunderland have agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of Jobe Bellingham.

A £27.8 million fee with a further £4.2 million in add-ons has been agreed between the two clubs. It will make the midfielder Sunderland’s largest ever sale and Dortmund’s second biggest signing ever, behind only Ousmane Dembele.

The move will see the 19-year-old follow in the footsteps of his older brother Jude, who joined the German side for £25 million back in 2020. Since then, the older Bellingham brother has shot to the very top of football.

He was named as Bundesliga Player of the Season and won the Golden Boy award in 2023, before joining Real Madrid for £86 million. His stock has continued to rise with the Spanish Giants as he won La Liga and the Champions League in his debut season. He was awarded La Liga Player of the Season and finished third in the Ballon D’Or rankings, amongst a host of other accolades.

Now that he is set to join Dortmund, Jobe will hope that his career can follow a similar trajectory.

The move comes off the back of a successful season with Sunderland, who defeated Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship play-off final. The Black Cats secured their return to the Premier League after an eight year absence from the top flight.

Bellingham played a starring role in Sunderland’s promotion, being named in the Championship Team of the Season and as the Championship Young Player of the Season.

The 19-year-old was set to represent England in this summer’s U21 Euros in Slovakia. On Friday, manager Lee Carsley insisted: “Jobe is an important part of the squad.”

However, with Dortmund set to take part in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, the midfielder will now have to decide which tournament to take part in.

England U21s have already lost out on the services of a number of their star players to the new FIFA tournament, with Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Rico Lewis all heading to America instead of Slovakia.