Jobe Bellingham is set to follow in his brother’s footsteps after Borussia Dortmund agreed a fee with with Sunderland that is higher than what they paid for Jude in 2020.
The 19-year old midfielder helped Sunderland clinch promotion last month and has now decided to take his talents to Germany.
Dortmund will pay an initial £27.8million fee plus £4.2m in potential add-ons, and there is a 15 per cent sell-on fee. Bellingham will undergo his medical on Monday.
Bellingham will become Sunderland’s record sale, overtaking the £25m transfer of Jordan Pickford to Everton in 2017.
And he will cost Dortmund more than his superstar brother did five years ago.
Jude, now a key player for Real Madrid, joined the Bundesliga outfit from Birmingham City as a 17-year-old in 2020 for £25m.
Borussia Dortmund have agreed a fee with with Sunderland to sign Jobe Bellingham
Jobe will follow in the footsteps of his brother Jude, who also played for Borussia Dortmund
Jude spent three years with Dortmund before making a big money move to Real Madrid
Eintracht Frankfurt and Red Bull Leipzig were the other German clubs that spoke to the 20-year-old.
A number of Premier League sides also held interest, but initial indications are Bellingham is preparing to follow a similar path to his brother Jude who extolled the benefits of life in Germany with Dortmund.
After three years at Dortmund, Jude – who spoke to his brother via video call after the play-off final – went on to join Real Madrid, where he is now a first-team regular.
The elder Bellingham won a Champions League medal last year, with Madrid beating his old club Dortmund in the final.
Sunderland have been aware of ongoing interest in Jobe since January. His previous club Birmingham City are also due a significant sell-on fee.