Tottenham ‘make contact’ over stunning midfielder raid to leave rivals reeling
Tottenham have been scouring the market for a new midfielder for some time and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that Jobe Bellingham is on their radar.
The Sunderland star, the younger brother of Real Madrid and England superstar Jude, is considered one of the best young talents in the Championship.
The 18-year-old joined the Black Cats from Birmingham for just £3m last summer and made 47 appearances this season, scoring an impressive seven goals.
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Sunderland are keen to keep hold of Bellingham when the British transfer window opens but the second-tier side will find it difficult to turn down a big offer.
If the teenager gets anything close to the levels his brother Jude has reached in his short career then he could prove to be a fantastic signing for Spurs.
Crystal Palace and Brentford also hold an interest in Bellingham but we understand Tottenham would be the favourites to sign him if they launch a suitable offer for his services.
TEAMtalk sources close to the situation say that Spurs are considering doing just that and have made the Sunderland star a key target.
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Tottenham make first big move in Bellingham race
TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that Tottenham have ‘made contact’ with Bellingham’s entourage as they want to understand the conditions of a potential deal.
A report from Ed Aarons of The Guardian suggests that Sunderland will demand in excess of £20m for the England under-19s international.
The journalist claims that Sunderland ‘aim to keep’ Bellingham but as interest in him grows his departure looks increasingly likely.
The youngster generally plays as an attacking midfielder but has also featured in a deeper number eight role on multiple occassions.
That is exactly the kind of player Ange Postecoglou is looking to bring in.
As we have consistently reported, Chelsea star Conor Gallagher, who also plays in both those positions, is one of the Aussie coach’s top targets for the summer.
Chelsea need to sell homegrown players to balance the books and the club’s board will look to offload Gallagher if he doesn’t sign a contract extension in the near future.
Tottenham targeting Bellingham therefore makes sense as that’s clearly an area Postecoglou is keen to improve over the coming months.
The teenager would be more of a long-term prospect than an instant improvement to Spurs’ starting XI but is certainly a name for fans to get excited about.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops as the race for Bellingham’s signature heats up.