Sunderland ‘confident’ that they can keep £30m star | OneFootball

Sunderland’s Premier League Return Shifts Tide in Jobe Bellingham Transfer Saga

Promotion injects leverage into Sunderland’s strategy

There are few events in football that can alter the trajectory of a club quite as swiftly as promotion. For Sunderland, that dramatic 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final was more than a victory — it was a statement. Not only have they clawed their way back into the Premier League after an eight-year exile, but they’ve also fortified their position in one of the summer’s most intriguing transfer stand-offs.

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As TeamTalk reports, Sunderland are now “increasingly optimistic” about keeping hold of Jobe Bellingham despite sustained interest from Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United. The midfielder has become a focal point of Régis Le Bris’s system, making 47 appearances and contributing seven goals and eight assists across the season. His performances have not just been effective, but symbolic — a touchstone for a club in transition.

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Dortmund’s persistence and familiar territory

Dortmund’s interest is hardly casual. The German club are “very keen”, and managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke even flew to England for talks with Bellingham’s family after the play-off final. The logic is clear: Jobe fits the archetype Dortmund have perfected — a technically adept, high-ceiling midfielder ready for a stage larger than the one he currently occupies. He is also, of course, Jude Bellingham’s brother. The legacy narrative writes itself.

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Yet, for all of Dortmund’s pedigree in nurturing elite talent, Sunderland now hold the cards. Promotion changes the conversation from whether Bellingham is too big for the club to whether the club is now big enough to keep him.

United circling amid structural uncertainty

Manchester United remain in the frame. They admire Bellingham and are said to be monitoring developments. But amid internal uncertainty and the lack of a settled long-term strategy, it’s unclear if Old Trafford represents the right environment for a player still in the foundational stage of his development.

For Sunderland, Premier League football offers Bellingham a platform to grow, not as a squad player but as a mainstay — a distinction that may weigh heavily in the club’s favour.

Contract security buys time

With a deal running until 2028, Sunderland are under no immediate pressure to sell. And in the post-promotion glow, they can afford to be ambitious. “Sunderland now believe this milestone… gives them a strong chance of keeping him for at least another year,” TeamTalk noted.

What follows will depend on performances, planning and persuasion — but for now, Sunderland’s most valuable prospect remains theirs to nurture.

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For years Sunderland fans have seen talented players leave because the infrastructure just couldn’t match their ambition. But not now. Getting back to the Premier League changes the conversation. It says, “they’re building something here.”

Jobe Bellingham has been immense this season — not just technically, but in his maturity. Watching him dictate midfield battles in the Championship, you’d never guess he’s still only 18. He’s grown with them, and now they get the chance to watch him grow further — in red and white, in the Premier League, where he belongs.

The links to Dortmund and United are flattering, sure. But Jobe knows he’s loved at Sunderland. He knows he’ll play there. And you can’t underestimate the power of that when you’re his age, with a full stadium behind you singing your name.