Jobe Bellingham Joins Dortmund in £31m Transfer

Jobe Bellingham is heading to Borussia Dortmund at 19, retracing a path once taken by his brother Jude, but determined to make his name stand on its own.

After playing a vital role in Sunderland’s promotion run, Jobe won’t feature in the Premier League next season. Instead, he’s agreed a move to Dortmund in a deal potentially rising to £31m. That figure would make him Sunderland’s record sale and place him behind only Ousmane Dembele on Dortmund’s all-time purchases list.

The Bellingham name already carries weight at Signal Iduna Park. Jude arrived from Birmingham City as a 17-year-old in 2020 for £25m, and over three seasons, delivered 132 appearances, a DFB Pokal trophy in 2021, and narrowly missed out on a league title. He was voted Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2023, before Real Madrid signed him for an initial £88.5m.

Jobe followed the same start — Birmingham academy product, Championship standout — but his target is different. He wants to forge his own image, even opting to have “Jobe” on the back of his shirt.

“He doesn’t want to live off the back of his brother’s name,” former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray said last year. “He wants to be the footballer he is and show people what he can do. He’s trying to create his own identity.”

Jobe’s role differs from Jude’s — whereas Jude plays as a traditional No. 10, Jobe thrives deeper, either as a defensive midfielder or a true box-to-box player. During the 2024–25 campaign, he made 43 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting three, occasionally even deployed in forward positions.

“I know playing box-to-box is what I enjoy the most, because you can get stuck in and drive forward,” Jobe told Sky Sports. “I can show more of what I’m capable of in that position.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris praised Jobe’s versatility during the season: “I like him as a number eight because he’s an offensive midfielder. He can express his power, his ability to run and his ability to press, to link defence and attack.”

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini backed the switch to Germany. “The Bundesliga is somewhere between the Championship and the Premier League,” he told BBC Radio Newcastle. “It’s a way of stepping up, maybe a little bit of less pressure.”

Gabbiadini also remembers the surprise of Jobe’s arrival from Birmingham in 2023: “He’s been very good for us. Do I think he’s as good as his brother? Not from what I’ve seen so far. But if he’s 80% as good, he’ll still be a very good player.”

Jobe has featured four times for England Under-21s and will represent the country at this summer’s European Championship in Slovakia — unless the Dortmund deal is completed before 10 June. If so, he could join the German side for the expanded Club World Cup in the United States.

Dortmund have been drawn into Group F alongside Fluminense, Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns. Real Madrid — who Jude Bellingham helped win both La Liga and the Champions League in 2024 — are in Group H. The quarter-finals are scheduled for 5 July. If both sides progress, Jobe could face Jude in a competitive fixture for the first time.

Jude, already capped 43 times by England and a European Championship finalist in both 2021 and 2024, hinted at a dream scenario during a September appearance on his YouTube channel.

“To play with my brother for England… that would be the biggest dream of my life,” he said. “That would mean more than any of the trophies… especially if we managed to do it on a consistent basis and play at a major tournament together.”

“He wants to try to create his own legacy and his own path,” Jude added. “People will use him as a way to have a dig at me and vice-versa… but as long as he’s happy, that’s all I really care about. His happiness means more to me than my own.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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