The Sunderland decision Jobe Bellingham must make as Chelsea join race: View | OneFootball

Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham is attracting interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid, according to TEAMtalk.

These aren’t the first big teams that Jobe has been linked to, with Tottenham Hotspur also believed to be keeping tabs on him.

A transfer away from the Stadium of Light could be tempting for the 18-year-old considering the calibre of teams that have been linked with a move for him.

But he only arrived at the club during the summer, making a decent impact this term with four goals and one assist in 21 Championship appearances.

He has certainly been more successful at a senior level for the Black Cats than he was at Birmingham City, with John Eustace’s failure to get the best out of Jobe perhaps the costliest mistake of what was a reasonably successful managerial spell at St Andrew’s.

Bellingham, unlike Birmingham, has richly benefitted from this switch to Wearside but a move away from his current club could be on the horizon sooner than he thought.

Sunderland’s transfer stance on Jobe Bellingham

The Black Cats’ stance could be a barrier for Bellingham though if he did want to move away from the Stadium of Light in January.

TEAMtalk believes his side are determined to retain him for the remainder of the campaign and they are in a strong position to do so.

This is because he still has three-and-a-half years remaining on his current contract and at this point, no release clause in his deal has been reported.

It’s entirely possible that a release clause isn’t in a deal - and that’s potentially why Sunderland want to keep him for as long as possible - so they can maximise his value.

They may only be able to retain the teenager for so long though, with scouts from Germany, Italy and Spain all flying in to watch him and with scouts from England also in attendance at some of his games this season.

The stance Jobe Bellingham should take on his Sunderland future

It seems pretty clear that Bellingham should stay put for now, mainly because he’s far more likely to start games at the Stadium of Light than he is at Stamford Bridge and the Santiago Bernabeu.

It’s unclear whether new manager Michael Beale will start him regularly - but he has impressed so far this season and key officials on Wearside are likely to urge him to stick with the 18-year-old considering the ability and potential he has.

The England youth international has certainly done enough to justify why he should be getting a decent amount of game time at this level - and playing regularly at a club he’s at on a permanent basis can only aid his development.

He may get the chance to go out on loan if he makes the move to the Blues or Madrid, but that isn’t ideal for his development considering he will want to be based in one place

Moving on in January would also show a lack of loyalty and that won’t look great on his CV. If he can leave on good terms with the Black Cats’ supporters, that would be ideal.

Considering the potential he has, him leaving the Wearside club at some point seems inevitable, but that day shouldn’t be on the horizon anytime soon.

He needs to walk before he can run because there are no guarantees that he will be just like his brother in a few years, so he must spend the next 6–18 months at the Stadium of Light before reassessing his future, unless he isn’t winning much game time during that period.

Bellingham could also go on an exciting journey with his current side, with the Black Cats in contention to secure promotion at the end of the season.