Borussia Dortmund bosses and Niko Kovac fly to England for negotiations regarding Jobe Bellingham | OneFootball

Ruhr Nachrichten reports that Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac, sporting director Sebastian Kehl and director of sport Lars Ricken flew to the North East of England for negotiations surrounding Jobe Bellingham.

The trio flew into Newcastle before travelling to Jobe’s current club, Sunderland, to negotiate over a potential move in the summer. Jobe is said to be viewed as a cheaper alternative to Carney Chukwuemek, who is currently on loan at Dortmund from Chelsea, but has a release clause worth over €35m.

Sky Germany reports that the younger Bellingham will cost around €25m, but Dortmund will face competition from other clubs, not only from England, but RB Leipzig in Germany, who are also interested in the 19-year-old.

Jobe was recently awarded the Championship Young Player of the Year award as he played a role in helping Sunderland reach the playoffs.

The older Bellingham, Jude, cemented himself as one of the best young players in the world while at Dortmund, making 92 appearances as he won the DFB-Pokal and came agonisingly close to winning the Bundesliga in 2023. In the same season, he also picked up the Bundesliga player of the year award.

GGFN | Jack Meenan