Jobe Bellingham, a midfield player for Southampton, is available this summer, but teams like Brentford and Crystal Palace will put up a fierce fight to get him.
With 47 games in all competitions and seven goals, Bellingham had an outstanding debut season with the Black Cats, helping the northeast team place 16th in the Championship. The 18-year-old has drawn attention from teams due to his outstanding performance; Tottenham, Southampton, Brentford, and Palace are among the contenders.
Even though it’s known that Sunderland is eager to hang onto the player, talkSPORT has learned that the second division team would probably accept a £20 million bid. Bellingham is a priority transfer target for Saints manager Russell Martin, who is trying to bolster his team in preparation for their return to the premier league. This would have to be considered a major summer acquisition.
Southampton Want To Sign Bellingham
The starlet is attracting plenty of suitors
Bellingham, who came up via the Birmingham City youth, completed his £3 million move to Sunderland last season after making his Blues debut at the age of 16. The potential established himself as a key member of Sunderland’s midfield, starting 43 of the Black Cats’ 46 Championship games. Rumor has it that he may be prepared to go up to the Premier League, the highest level of English football.
Bellingham has been praised for his athleticism and passing range. Former Sunderland striker Niall Quinn called Bellingham “incredible”. The Wearside team seems to agree, as they are apparently willing to pay more than £20 million for the star.
Bellingham is purportedly one of Southampton’s target acquisitions in an effort to bolster the caliber of their roster, which includes a number of players who were demoted along with the South Coast club in the 2022–2023 campaign. The former Norwich City player is apparently interested on the player, but it’s unclear if Martin and the Saints administration would be ready to match Sunderland’s asking price.
Flynn Downes played all of last season on loan at St. Mary’s; although he is ‘poised to press’ for a permanent transfer this summer, West Ham may eventually choose to hold onto the youngster. Bellingham might emerge as the main backup if a deal for Downes doesn’t work out, joining Joe Aribo and Will Smallbone as Martin’s main choices in the center of the park.
| Bellingham’s Championship Statistics 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 45 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Key Passes Per 90 | 0.94 |
| Shots Per 90 | 1.39 |
Saints Chasing Young Centre-Back
Martin is interested in signing Ronnie Edwards from Peterborough
Bolstering the midfield is one of a number of areas Southampton are looking to address this summer. Martin is keen to strengthen defensively, with Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards said to be the subject of Saints interest.
The 21-year-old is highly thought of, making 45 appearances last season in League One for the Cambridgeshire side, leading Posh to the brink of promotion. Edwards is valued at £10 million, and is garnering attention from a number of Championship clubs, but Southampton’s newly earned top flight status could give them the edge in the race to sign the youngster, who has been described as ‘the best young player’ Darren Ferguson has coached.
Statistics via Transfermarkt – as of 27/06/24.
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