Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund transfer latest as Sunderland agree club-record fee

Jobe Bellingham will undergo a medical at Borussia Dortmund today as his club-record move from Sunderland nears.

Bellingham has been training with the England U21s squad in Slovakia ahead of the upcoming European Championships, but left the camp yesterday after the two clubs reached an agreement on a transfer fee after a week of negotiations. While clarification will follow if and when the deal is completed, it's widely expected that Bellingham will travel with his new team mates to play in the upcoming Club World Cup in the USA.

Bellingham landed in Dortmund last night and will have is medical today, with the Bundesliga club eager to tie up a deal before the current mini transfer window closes later tomorrow. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Bellingham have already agreed a long-term contract that will run until the summer of 2030.

It’s understood that the initial fee is in the region of €33 million, with around €5 million in potential add-ons. If they are triggered in the future as expected, then the deal will surpass the £30 million the club received for the sale of Jordan Pickford to Everton.

It’s understood that Sunderland have also agreed a sell-on clause of around 15% should Bellingham move on in future. Birmingham City will benefit from this current deal due to a similar clause in the deal that brought the midfielder to Wearside two years ago.

While Bellingham’s departure is a blow for Sunderland ahead of their return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence, the fee represents a major injection of funds into the club. It’s also a significant increase on the opening bid from the Bundesliga club, which is believed to have been around €20 million with add-ons.

What Kristjaan Speakman said about Jobe Bellingham's potential Sunderland departure last week

Speaking last week, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said he couldn't comment on the specifics of Bellingham's situation but added that the club had already proved it could handle the loss of key players.

“I can’t say anything on that specific situation," Speakman said.

"What we can’t be doing is speculating on every single player and every potential trade, whether that’s a player leaving or a player coming in. It’s just the nature of the industry. Once we know where we are with certain players and things can be defined, then we’ll try to be public on that.

“The context of every situation is different, and you always have to bear that in mind. All of the players you’re dealing with are humans, they all have their own aspirations and what they want to achieve. Obviously, we’ve got a collective number of players at the minute that have bought in to what Sunderland is. Through that collective and connection between everyone, we’ve managed to build a successful team that has got the club back into the Premier League. When you do my type of job, or Regis’ type of job, then you have to consider all those pieces and try to come up with the right answer. Thankfully, over the last few years, we’ve made more correct decisions that wrong decisions with that. We’ve go to keep continuing with that."

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