Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly learned what it will take to prise Jobe Bellingham away from Sunderland in the summer transfer window.
The brother of Real Madrid and England sensation Jude Bellingham is making a name for himself in the Championship, where Sunderland are firmly in control of their playoff destiny as they lie fourth in the table.
The 19-year-old has registered four goals and three assists in 34 second-tier matches for Regis Le Bris's side this season, starting every single one of those contests and playing in a multitude of positions.
Jobe Bellingham has acted as a number six, number eight and number 10 during the 2024-25 Championship season, and even if the Black Cats do not earn promotion, he could very well end up in the Premier League next season.
Both Chelsea and Spurs are said to have taken a serious interest in the former Birmingham City youngster, who has a little over three years left to run on his contract at the Stadium of Light.
Chelsea, Spurs quoted £20m for Bellingham?
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According to Football Insider, Sunderland will be after a fee of at least £20m to sanction the teenager's sale this summer, although such an outlay should not prove problematic for his top-flight suitors.
The Black Cats supposedly plan to keep hold of Jobe Bellingham if they manage to return to the Premier League for the 2025-26 season, but they will be open to offers if they are unsuccessful in their promotion push.
At this juncture, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund - who memorably oversaw Jude Bellingham's rise into one of the leading midfield forces in world football - are said to be at the head of the queue, with Tottenham and Crystal Palace in the background.
However, the report adds that the England Under-21 international has not made a final decision on whether he will leave the club if they stay in the Championship, and he will take each project into careful consideration before confirming his next move.
Jobe Bellingham moved to Sunderland from Birmingham for just £1.5m in the summer of 2023, and the teenager now boasts a total of 11 goals and four assists in 81 games for the Black Cats in all tournaments.
Chelsea's youthful recruitment drive is still at full throttle
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Chelsea are supposedly running the rule over Bellingham in spite of the fact that they are about to add to their youthful midfield ranks with the signing of Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon.
Reports on Saturday evening claimed that the Blues had reached an agreement to sign the Portugal Under-21 international - who is currently on loan at Las Palmas - for £18.5m when the transfer window opens.
Essugo will go straight into Enzo Maresca's first-team squad, and the West London giants apparently want to integrate him into the first team in time for the start of their Club World Cup campaign in the middle of June.
Chelsea struck a deal for Essugo mere hours after finalising a £40m agreement for his Sporting Lisbon teammate Geovany Quenda, the 17-year-old wing-back who will officially join in 2026.
The Blues ostensibly beat Manchester United to the capture of Quenda, although the truth behind the Red Devils' pursuit of the teenager has reportedly now been revealed.
Ben Knapton
