Jobe Bellingham’s desire to represent Borussia Dortmund in the coming Club World Cup may not come to fruition. Sport Bild reports that Dortmund’s negotiations with Sunderland have stalled. The Black Cats maintain little interest in negotiating a fee below Bellingham’s €40m release clause. The Bundesliga club, meanwhile, is opening up with a €25m bid.
The German tabloid makes the sensational claim that – given how far apart the sides are – the deal could ultimately collapse. Dortmund have no real urgency to augment their midfield ahead of the coming June tournament and Bellingham has other potential suitors. Talk of a “handshake agreement” between BVB and the Bellingham family nevertheless persists.
Sport Bild does note that Dortmund are tacking on at least €5m in add-ons. Ostensibly, the two sides can still come to an agreement quickly if the nuance of the performance-based incentives is properly negotiated. The 19-year-old presumably wishes to follow in the footsteps of his older brother and suit up for die Schwarzgelben.
In other Dortmund-related personnel news, the reported up early loan recall of centre-back Soumaïla Coulibaly was officially confirmed yesterday. Coulibably remains only loan recall Dortmund have made ahead of the competition thus far. Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich have made two.
GGFN | Peter Weis
