Crystal Palace, West Ham United and European pair eye Sunderland AFC transfer raid | OneFootball

Bellingham is attracting interest from plenty of teams ahead of the January window.

Crystal Palace and West Ham United are both reportedly interested in a move for Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham.

That is according to a report from TBR Football, who have also revealed that French outfit Marseille and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are also eyeing a move for the teenager.

The 19-year-old has been one of the first names on the teamsheet since his move to the Stadium of Light, with the Black Cats giving the player much more of an opportunity to shine than Birmingham City did.

Under Regis Le Bris, who joined in the summer, he has continued to be an integral player, even if he hasn’t been able to register as many goal contributions as he would have wanted during the 2024/25 campaign thus far.

He has, however, scored in wins against Derby County and Oxford United.

His breakthrough goal against the U’s was important - because that provided the foundation for the Black Cats to go on and secure all three points that afternoon.

He will want to continue contributing in the final third - and if he can - it may only be a matter of time before he makes a move away from Wearside.

Plenty of eyes are likely to be on him considering he’s Jude Bellingham’s younger brother - and he has a lot to live up to.

Crystal Palace and West Ham among teams interested in Jobe Bellingham

Palace took an interest in Bellingham during the summer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Unfortunately for them, a deal failed to materialise for Oliver Glasner’s side in the end, but they have reportedly reignited their interest in the player and they could potentially make a move for him during the January window.

West Ham are another team that have been listed as an interested team, with the Irons and the Black Cats doing business in the past couple of years.

Both Aji Alese and Pierre Ekwah have joined the Wearside outfit from the Premier League side since the former’s return to the Championship, so it will be interesting to see whether the top-tier club use that relationship to try and get a deal over the line.

However, the English top-flight pair aren’t alone in this race, with Marseille and RB Leipzig also believed to be in the mix to recruit the teenager.

And older brother Jude’s former team Borussia Dortmund have been named as another interested club.

However, the Black Cats aren’t willing to entertain any talks regarding Bellingham until the end of the season, with Le Bris’ side in the mix for promotion following an excellent start to the 2024/25 campaign.

With this in mind, as well as the fact the player’s contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2028, it could be very difficult for any interested team to get a deal over the line for him during the January transfer window.

Jobe Bellingham needs to take difficult stance on Sunderland AFC future

It would be a difficult decision for him to resist a move away from Wearside, especially if the calibre of sides mentioned in this report end up coming in for him.

However, he needs to prioritise game time over anything else at this stage, and he’s pretty much guaranteed this game time under Le Bris (pictured above) at the SoL.

He isn’t guaranteed this game time elsewhere - and it would be a risk for him to move on from the Wearside outfit in January.

It may also be more difficult for him to settle into a new club if he comes in mid-season, making a January move for him even more risky.

With his contract situation in mind, it’s a risk he doesn’t need to take at this point, so it will be interesting to see what decision he takes if an offer is accepted.