Crystal Palace are now having second thoughts about signing one ‘fantastic’ Sunderland player.
Sunderland haven’t had much to cheer about since the season ended last month.
The Black Cats were expected to bring in a new manager fairly quickly, but still remain without Mike Dodds‘ replacement over four weeks later.
Meanwhile, their key assets continue to be targeted by the Premier League clubs.
It feels like only a matter of time before the bids will start rolling in for Jack Clarke, while Jobe Bellingham is the latest player to hit the headlines.
Recent reports have claimed that Crystal Palace, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Jobe, with the former already holding ‘talks’.
It is believed that Sunderland are eager to keep hold of the ‘fantastic’ 18-year-old, but could consider letting him go if they receive an offer over £20 million.
The Black Cats would have trouble if Jobe started to push for a move though, with the club’s chances of pushing for promotion next term looking slimmer every day they fail to appoint a manager.
Crystal Palace are now uncertain about Jobe Bellingham
However, they may now have been handed a boost in their bid to keep him, with the Eagles seemingly on the fence about the potential signing.
According to GIVEMESPORT, the Crystal Palace board no longer view Jobe as ‘vital’ to their summer transfer plans and are unsure whether he is of the calibre of player that they want to sign ahead of Oliver Glasner’s first full campaign in charge.
However, the report does claim they won’t prevent the club from making progress on a potential deal.
Jobe’s £20m price tag will surely now put them off
It had felt like Selhurst Park could be one of the most likely destinations for Jobe, considering how much success they have had from bringing Championship players to the top flight.
However, the board’s uncertainty over the midfielder is very good news for Sunderland.
With the Wearside outfit likely to demand £20m plus for his signature, it would be a huge surprise if the Eagles were now willing to pay that.
Jobe is unlikely to be ready for regular football in the Premier League for at least a couple of years, so whether a top flight club will be prepared to spend eight figures on him already is questionable.
Jobe would surely be put off by Palace’s uncertainty too, as he won’t want to risk very quickly falling down the pecking order and finding himself playing U21 football all season.