Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ stance on Jobe Bellingham’s future at Sunderland has now been shared.
Jobe Bellingham only joined Sunderland last summer and quickly went onto become a key member of their starting line-up, making 43 starts in the Championship.
It only took a matter of months before Real Madrid were reportedly linked with the second Bellingham brother, while recent rumours have consisted of more realistic transfers.
It is believed that both Brentford and Crystal Palace are keen to sign Jobe this summer, with the latter already holding ‘talks’ over a move.
The reaction to the 18-year-old’s potential exit has been mixed, much like his season on Wearside.
However, it appears Sunderland themselves are desperate to keep hold of Jobe.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus ‘keen’ to keep hold of Jobe
According to The Guardian, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is ‘particularly keen’ not to sell Bellingham as he views him as a ‘crucial part of the squad’ in a potential promotion push next term.
It had already been reported that the Black Cats would be willing to part ways with the midfielder for a feein excess of £20 million though – over ten times as much as they paid for him 12 months ago.
That could well be close to the fee that Borussia Dortmund paid for Jude back in 2020, before going onto join Real Madrid for an initial £88.5m.
Sunderland’s stance is a breath of fresh air
Sunderland definitely have the right mindset not to snatch a Premier League team’s hand off at the first sight of profit – which is something they are all too familiar with.
Jobe has had a bumpy season but clearly has bags of potential and could definitely take his ability to the next level if he stayed another year or two.
There is no doubt that he will play in the top flight eventually, but he doesn’t want to rush things and Sunderland definitely don’t want to regret letting him leave so soon.
Jobe definitely isn’t worth the amount Dortmund paid for Jude, so it should put off potential suitors this summer.
Sunderland could well hold out for an even bigger sum if they let him leave in another 12 months instead.