Sunderland's transfer state of play explained - including Jobe Bellingham latest

The transfer window officially opened to Championship teams today, though Sunderland had already made their first move of the summer last week.

So what’s the state of play at the club as it stands, and what should supporters expect in the weeks and months ahead?

We run you through some of the key questions…

What are Sunderland’s plans - and ambitions - for the window?

Tony Mowbray dropped a big hint before the play-off campaign about Sunderland’s plans this summer were they still in the Championship, basically saying that they would be changing very little.

At that stage, he said the club were well advanced in identifying a number of young players ‘from all over the world’ who could come in and potentially improve the team.

In his interview with club media a couple of weeks later, Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman underlined this and hinted that the club were ready to move.

“I certainly think by being really well organised and planned as we have been, we can go into this window literally from the moment the January window finished,” Speakman said.

“Some of our recruitment work and scouting has been going on, some of the players we’re engaging with at the moment has been going on for the last year.

“We certainly want to see some of that hard work come to the forefront and hopefully we can see some more exciting players playing a brand of football at the Stadium of Light, which I know from speaking to supporters in and around the city that they are pleased with.

“It’s not just the types of players we’ve got but the type of football they are coming to watch on a Saturday.”

That Australian youngster Nectarios Triantis was the club’s first summer signing, a 20-year-old enjoying a rapid rise in the game, underlined that the broad strategy will stay the same this summer. Sunderland will invest in their squad, but predominantly on younger players who can grow with the club.

They may well look to balance that with some experience, as the club have been clear that they want to kick on again from their sixth-placed finish, but any such addition would be highly unlikely to come with a fee attached.

The club have been linked with Fulham forward Neeskens Kebano, who has three Championship promotions under his belt, when his deal at Craven Cottage expires later this month.

What do we know about the potential arrival of Jobe Bellingham?

Bellingham has been a long-term target for the Sunderland hierarchy, and the family retain close links with Speakman as well as first-team coach Mike Dodd and head of coaching Stuart English.

Bellingham attended the first leg of the club's play-off semi-final against Luton Town, which was an indication that the midfielder had decided on Wearside as his long-term destination and that the broad strokes of an agreement with Birmingham City were in place.

The move took a little longer than perhaps expected to come to fruition, but that was no great surprise as the Blues went through a takeover and Bellingham himself went on international duty. The midfielder has, out of interest, been playing alongside Black Cats youngster Zak Johnson in the England U18s side over the last week.

With the transfer window officially openeing on Wednesday, the two clubs agreed a deal is in place and the formalities will be completed when the midfielder returns from those international games. The length of Bellingham's contract will likely be revealed at that stage, but he has agreed a long-term deal.

The deal will be structured in a similar fashion to many of Sunderland's recent acquisitions, with a more modest initial fee potentially rising in line with performances over time. Birmingham will retain a relatively significant sell-on clause.

Are Sunderland close to any other business?

The Black Cats are believed to be leading the race for Benfica striker Luis Semedo.

The 19-year-old, who played mostly in the club’s B side last season, is available on a free transfer after confirming his departure on social media last week.

His arrival would add some much needed depth and long-term potential to Sunderland’s striking ranks, should it proceed as expected.

There has been a lot of speculation about Jack Clarke and some of Sunderland’s other young stars - should fans be braced for sales this summer?

Sunderland are keen to keep the core of last season’s team together, particularly as many of their young players look ready to kick on and grow their value further after a successful first season at Championship level.

There has been a Premier League bid for Clarke, but at this stage not at a level close to tempting Sunderland to part ways with the winger who is just one year into a long-term deal. Given that Spurs retain a sell-on clause, it would take a big sum to offer Sunderland anything approaching real value this summer. 

The Black Cats do not feel they are under any pressure to sell in this window, and so while a major bid for a player could create a dilemma, a significant number of departures are not expected.

Could any players head out on loan this season?

It’s definitely a possibility.

Mowbray has already stated that Joe Anderson could benefit from a loan, but he will likely stay through the early stages of pre-season to ensure the head coach is comfortable he has enough cover and competition. The arrival of Triantis might make that loan exit more likely.

Sunderland will also give Jay Matete a chance to stake his claim for first-team football on Wearside through the pre-season period.