Sunderland star gives green light as Dortmund prepare offer | OneFootball

Jobe Bellingham Chooses Dortmund as Sunderland Face Summer Blow

So it goes. A new Bellingham saga, a familiar destination. According to Bild, Jobe Bellingham has given Borussia Dortmund the green light, a nod of intent that now places him on the cusp of a transfer from Sunderland to the Bundesliga. It is not quite a done deal, not yet, but this time the story feels as if it’s following a pre-written script.

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Dortmund’s recruitment of the younger Bellingham, brother of Jude, is more than a transfer—it’s a reunion with nostalgia. The teenager reportedly turned down offers from both Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, citing Dortmund’s allure, its crowd, and its resonance with a familiar past.

Dortmund charm offensive pays off

The courtship has been thorough. Bild claims that head coach Niko Kovac, sporting director Sebastian Kehl, CEO Lars Ricken and chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke all made personal efforts to convince Bellingham to join. That level of attention is rare. But for Dortmund, this isn’t just a signing—it’s a statement.

“Bellingham has given the Ruhr club his word,” the report reads. That sentence alone carries significant weight. It marks the end of a “weeks-long poker” between clubs and opens the door to formal negotiations.

Sunderland left in delicate position

Dortmund’s offer, however, comes with a ceiling. They reportedly will not exceed €25 million as a fixed fee, while Sunderland are said to be demanding more. How far the Black Cats are willing to push remains unclear, but the leverage appears to be slipping through their fingers.

From Sunderland’s perspective, this deal is not only about price but timing. Promotion to the Premier League brings visibility and valuation spikes. Losing one of their brightest young players now, just as the curtain lifts on a new top-flight era, feels both economically tempting and emotionally hollow.

Emotional pull of Dortmund

That pull of emotion is strong in this narrative. Bellingham’s bond with Dortmund stretches back to family ties and visits to the Yellow Wall. “The club, the atmosphere in the stadium – all that made him want to continue his career in Dortmund,” Bild reports.

In the end, it is not just about the Bundesliga or the price. It is about legacy, comfort, and an echo of a name that has already soared in black and yellow.

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Jobe Bellingham wasn’t just a promising player, he was a symbol of the club’s revival, of homegrown identity, of a bridge between the Championship grind and Premier League optimism. To see him leave now, just as Sunderland are finding their footing again, will feel like a gut punch.

Of course, there’s logic to the move. Dortmund develop players, they elevate talent, and they have history with the Bellingham family. No one at Sunderland doubts the quality of the club. But the frustration lies in the timing. Jobe could have been a face of this new era at the Stadium of Light, a player to build around, not sell off.

And €25 million? is that enough? Not for his potential, not for what he means to the Sunderland supporters. Sunderland are no longer a selling club by default, and if Dortmund want him, they should pay the premium.

The club will have to fight hard for what he’s worth—because this deal needs to reflect more than just sentiment. It has to make sense for Sunderland, too.