Jobe Bellingham to follow in brother Jude's footsteps? Sunderland star given four reasons why transfer to Borussia Dortmund 'would make sense' as German giants eye teenage midfielder

Transfer talk continues to build around the talented 19-year-old playmaker. No deal was done during the winter window, with Sunderland still hoping to deliver on collective ambition on Wearside by securing a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Promotion would make it easier to fend off any interest shown in the likes of Bellingham, with the teenager looking to follow in the footsteps of older sibling Jude – who is now on the books of Real Madrid and a talismanic presence for England.

Quizzed on whether Bellingham is destined to move on if Sunderland fail to make it back to the big time, former Black Cats striker Ally McCoist – speaking in association with talkSPORT BET – told GOAL: “Sadly for my fellow Mackems, I think so. He’s been great. I watch their games every week and he’s been great. They have been fabulous. I’m not ruling out automatic promotion, I’m really not.

“The league is one of my favourites in world football because it’s relentless. A lot of respect for the players and teams in that league. I think Sunderland have still got a chance of automatic promotion. I think such is the form of Jobe, it will be very difficult to knock back any concrete and acceptable offers that come in.”

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Bellingham is said to have attracted Premier League interest, but it is talk of a move to Borussia Dortmund being made that has captured the imagination. Jude headed to Germany in 2020 and has not looked back. Jobe is, however, already being compared to his brother on a regular basis and may wish to write his own unique story.

Asked if stepping into the same Bundesliga spotlight would bring too much pressure for Jobe, McCoist added when explaining why such a switch could be beneficial to all concerned: “You look at that club and it ticks so many boxes in so many ways.

“Regardless of the fact his brother was there, and we know how successful he was, put that to one side and it’s still potentially a brilliant move. They are a great club, amazing fan base, great pedigree of being successful, as good a pedigree as anyone at bringing young players through. It would make sense.”

Jude spent three years with Dortmund, earning him a €103 million (£86m/$107m) move to Madrid. Jobe, who came through the same youth system at Birmingham, joined Sunderland in 2023 and is tied to a contract that still has over three years left to run.