Arsenal join race - Will rising star Jobe Bellingham leave Sunderland in January?

Jude Bellingham has soared to prominence across the last few years to become a household name around the world but his younger brother Jobe is making promising steps towards emulating his sibling. While it’s inevitable that comparisons will always be drawn between the pair, especially as they play in similar positions, Jobe has strong aspirations of carving his own name in the beautiful game and he's made a fantastic start.

The 19-year-old is developing at an impressive rate and his form with Sunderland this season is attracting interest from several European giants. Bellingham has revelled under head coach Régis Le Bris and he’s been pivotal to Sunderland’s success with the Mackems currently sitting fourth in the second tier of English football. Despite still being a teenager, the England U21 star possesses huge experience for his age with almost 100 professional appearances and the midfielder’s all-round game has caught the eye.

How much is Jude Bellingham worth?

Bellingham has been deployed in several midfield roles for Sunderland but he’s predominantly been used as a deeper-lying midfielder. The Englishman is clearly still learning his trade and he’s expected to develop into a more box-to-box midfielder but his technical ability, composure and growing physicality are all standout qualities. Notably, Bellingham has thrived playing in front of 40,000 fans at the Stadium of Light as a youngster which speaks volumes about his maturity and temperament.

He has provided four goals and three assists for Sunderland across 23 appearances this season and his valuation soared in the recent championship market value update. Bellingham’s market value increased by €6 million to become the joint most valuable player in the division at €18m. The Sunderland ace is the 18th most valuable player born in 2005 behind the likes of Leny Yoro, Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler. As the graphic above shows, Bellingham’s market value has skyrocketed since joining Sunderland from Birmingham in July 2013 when he was valued at just €5m.

Who wants to sign Jude Bellingham?

Bellingham has unsurprisingly been linked with a plethora of European clubs since his emergence at Birmingham. The majority of these rumours hold little truth but Bellingham will be on the radar of top clubs due to his profile and performances. It’s understood that Arsenal have scouted the midfielder extensively but any move to Mikel Arteta’s men would materialise in the summer rather than January. Crystal Palace, however, remains a more realistic destination in January as they hold a long-term interest in Bellingham but it’s unclear whether he would welcome that move. 

 Jude’s current club Real Madrid and former outfit Borussia Dortmund have also been linked across previous windows. Tottenham and Manchester United have also monitored Bellingham this season but could he depart in January? It’s understood that Sunderland have a gentleman’s agreement with Bellingham to accept suitable offers but the player will ultimately decide his next destination as he will have a clear plan - in similar fashion to his older brother. It’s also understood that Sunderland value their prized asset at around €25m and manager Le Bris recently addressed speculation around Bellingham. He said: “I think for them, they can understand the dynamic, where they are today is positive for their improvement, so it’s good news to have this interest from other clubs, but at the same time I think they are really involved in the project today.”