Sunderland face huge competition in their bid to keep hold of Jobe Bellingham.
The midfielder has come under increasing demand in the months that have followed his summer switch from Birmingham City.
Jobe Bellingham arrived on Wearside in June and has comfortably been Sunderland’s best signing of the transfer window, scoring four goals in his 21 appearances in the Championship this term.
The midfielder was a favourite under Tony Mowbray and quickly earned himself his spot in the England U19 spot, where he was recently scouted by Real Madrid.
TEAMtalk have now reported that the Spanish giants remain interested in reuniting Jobe with his brother Jude, while Chelsea are another club that are very interested in his signature.
The report claims that the London outfit have been monitoring Jobe for over two years and had even looked to bring him to Stamford Bridge alongside his older brother prior to their respective moves to Madrid and Sunderland.
Chelsea’s pursuit failed due to their need to sell players, but they could still look to bring Jobe in in the near future.
The 18-year-old is earning increasing interest from his impressive performances in the Championship, with scouts from Italy, Spain, Germany and England all in attendance at some point this season. Tottenham Hotspur are one team that have also been credited with interest in the youngster.
Will Jobe Bellingham leave Sunderland?
Despite putting pen to paper on a four-year contract only six months ago, Sunderland could struggle to keep hold of Jobe Bellingham next summer.
The midfielder’s brother makes signing Jobe even more intriguing, with many hoping he can even become half the player Jude is.
The teenager has been sensational for much of the campaign so far. Out of the eleven signings made, Jobe is easily the best Sunderland brought in in the summer.
However, the Championship is at a much lower level than what seems to be expected of him. Jobe still has very little senior experience under his belt and it is still difficult to see why he would join any of these European giants right now.
He’s a huge talent, but he looks far off ever reaching the level of his brother. The England youth international would join someone like Real Madrid or Chelsea and just spend most of his time with the U21s or out on loan for the next few years.
Jobe could well end up at one of these clubs in the future, but is it the time for him to go right now? Sunderland is surely the best place for him to develop and I think he has the right head on his shoulders to know that.