Birmingham City in line for cash windfall as Jobe Bellingham, Chelsea transfer news emerges | OneFootball

The Sunderland midfielder is reportedly being weighed up for a summer move by the Premier League side

Birmingham City will be keeping a close eye on the developing link between Jobe Bellingham and Chelsea.

The midfielder has caught attention turning out for his current side, Sunderland, in the Championship this season.

His performances – which have helped the Black Cats become genuine promotion contenders – at just 19 years old have naturally provoked questions over whether he’s ready for the next step.

With European heavyweights circling, and Bellingham under a long-term contract at the Stadium of Light, a windfall could be on the way for both Sunderland and his former club Birmingham.

Why Birmingham would profit once more from a Jobe Bellingham sale

Blues sold Bellingham to Sunderland in 2023 for a fee reported to be around £1.5 million.

Given the kind of attention he’s fielding now, it looks on the surface like the West Midlands side may have let him go too cheaply, but they were smart enough to include a sell-on clause in that deal, which will see them take 15 percent from any sale Sunderland agree for Bellingham.

Given Bellingham was a Birmingham academy graduate, his initial sale plus anything from the sell-on clause would all be pure profit for the club.

Add that to the collective £35m the club received for his brother, Jude, with an initial fee plus an additional sell-on windfall in the move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, Blues will have earned plenty from the Bellingham household.

Opinions vary on how much Jobe Bellingham will be worth

The worth of the sell-on clause for the Sunderland midfielder will, of course, vary with the value of any subsequent sale, and there’s a lot of variance in the estimates at present.

A report from The Sun put Bellingham at around £25m, but sports finance expert Dan Plumley recently suggested that figure could double if Sunderland get promoted.

Given Chelsea, Dortmund and clubs like Tottenham and Crystal Palace are all reportedly in the mix, it’s easy to see how a bidding war could break out.

With a contract for Bellingham until 2028 and plenty of well-publicised interest, it looks likely that the Black Cats will hold all the cards when it comes to negotiating a fee.

Thanks to their sell-on clause, that’ll be music to the ears of those at Birmingham.

Jobe Bellingham must be wary of his next move

What the 19-year-old must ensure is that his next move guarantees him a platform to perform and prove himself.

It will be no good for his development, after two strong seasons at Sunderland, to sit on the bench at a larger club or slip back into their academy system.

Thankfully, he has his older brother, Jude, as a great example.

Although Dortmund are a huge club, they weren’t the most powerful name knocking on the older Bellingham’s door.

The likes of Manchester United tried to pull out all the stops when he was just a teenager but in Dortmund he spotted a club with a clear pathway and a track record of developing the brightest young talents.

A similar move might prove best for Jobe. Somewhere that, in the short to medium term, is better for his development than perhaps his status or bank balance.