Borussia Dortmund directly headed to England for the recruitment of 'brother Bellingham.' It seems that serious courting has begun, not just simple interest.

German 'Sky Sports' reported on the 8th (Korea time) that 'the Dortmund leadership and head coach Niko Kovač visited Newcastle in England. The sole purpose was Joe Bellingham (20, Sunderland).' On the same day, it was reported that four key figures, including Borussia Dortmund's Director General Lars Ricken and Director General Sebastian Kehl, directly took a flight to the local area.

Joe Bellingham is the younger brother of key Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham. Jude Bellingham registered officially with Birmingham City’s first team at the age of 16 on July 16, 2019, breaking the record as the youngest player in Birmingham's history. Since then, he has excelled in various positions, including winger, central midfielder, and forward, quickly attracting significant interest from several big clubs.

In July 2020, Birmingham transferred Jude Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund. Simultaneously, Birmingham designated Bellingham's number 22 jersey for permanent retirement. This was due not only to Bellingham's outstanding performance but also because he left the club with £25 million (approximately 39.1 billion won) in transfer fees, which greatly helped overcome financial difficulties.

After spending three seasons at Dortmund, Jude Bellingham is now thriving as one of the world’s best players at Real Madrid for the 2023-2024 season.

One year after Jude Bellingham left for Dortmund, another Bellingham emerged at Birmingham. Jude's younger brother, Joe, was named on the bench against Colchester in August 2021. In the 2021-2022 U-18 Premier League season, he made 11 appearances and scored 5 goals, and in the same season's Premier League 2, he participated in 13 games, providing 1 assist.

In the 2022-2023 season, Joe rose to the status of a semi-regular player at Birmingham. He made 23 appearances in official matches, including 22 league games, showcasing his talent as a multi-player by appearing as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder, and right midfielder.

In the 2023-2024 season, he moved to Sunderland. Since then, he has consistently played as a starter, making 47 appearances in official matches, including 45 league games, with a record of 7 goals and 1 assist. He also played 40 league matches in the 2024-2025 season, primarily as a defensive midfielder and central midfielder, scoring 4 goals and providing 3 assists.

Dortmund took the drastic step of 'a direct trip' to recruit Joe. According to Sky Sports, in addition to Coach Kovač, the technical director and chief scout also participated. This visit demonstrates how much weight the club places on this transfer.

The Dortmund local newspaper 'Ruhr Nachrichten' reported that they were seen returning to Dortmund Airport at 8:52 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Dortmund has been maintaining continuous communication with the Bellingham family, including Jude, and there are indications that specific negotiations were conducted in the UK. However, both Dortmund and the Bellingham side have refrained from making any official comments about this. In addition to Dortmund, RB Leipzig is also in the mix for the recruitment of Joe Bellingham.

Just as Jude grew into a central figure at Real Madrid after passing through Dortmund, attention is also on whether younger brother Joe can write another 'Bellingham story' on the German stage.

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