Borussia Dortmund is attempting to recruit 'younger Bellingham' Jobe Bellingham (20, Sunderland).

Germany's 'Ruhr Nachrichten' reported on the 9th (Korean time) that "Dortmund has officially launched its 'future project' for midfield restructuring. Acquiring young midfielders centered around Jobe Bellingham, the brother of Jude Bellingham (22, Real Madrid), and Rayan Cherki (22) of Olympique Lyon is crucial. Additionally, there is a midfielder named 'Mr. X,' who has not yet been disclosed.

Earlier, on the 8th, Germany's 'Sky Sports' reported that "Dortmund's top management and head coach Niko Kovač visited Newcastle in the United Kingdom. The sole purpose was Jobe Bellingham."

Jobe Bellingham is the younger brother of Jude Bellingham, a key midfielder for Real Madrid. Jobe's older brother, Jude Bellingham, officially registered with Birmingham City's first team at the age of 16 on July 16, 2019, breaking the record for the youngest player at Birmingham. He has since excelled in various positions, including left and right midfielder, central midfielder, and central forward, garnering significant interest from major clubs.

In July 2020, Birmingham transferred Jude Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund. At the same time, they permanently retired Bellingham's jersey number 22. This was due to his outstanding performance, but also because Bellingham left the club with a transfer fee of £25 million (about 39.1 billion won), which significantly helped the club overcome financial difficulties.

Jude Bellingham, who spent three seasons at Dortmund, is now playing as one of the world's top players for Real Madrid in the 2023-2024 season.

One year after Jude Bellingham left for Dortmund, another Bellingham appeared at Birmingham. This is Jude's younger brother, Jobe. Jobe was listed on the bench against Colchester in August 2021. He later made 11 appearances in the U-18 Premier League during the 2021-2022 season, scoring five goals and contributing one assist in 13 appearances in Premier League 2 during the same season.

In the 2022-2023 season, Jobe became a semi-regular for Birmingham. He participated in 23 matches across all competitions, including 22 league matches, showcasing his talents as a versatile player by competing as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder, and right midfielder.

In the 2023-2024 season, he transferred to Sunderland. He consistently performed as a starter, participating in 47 matches across all competitions, including 45 league matches, scoring seven goals and providing one assist. He played 40 league matches in the 2024-2025 season, primarily as a defensive midfielder and central midfielder, scoring four goals and assisting three times.

Dortmund has taken the drastic step of 'directly traveling' to recruit Jobe. According to reports from Sky Sports, in addition to head coach Kovač, the technical team leader and chief scout were also present. This visit demonstrates how seriously the club is considering this transfer.

The local media, Ruhr Nachrichten, reported on the same day that they captured the scene of the group returning to Dortmund Airport at 8:52 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

A day later, on the 9th, Ruhr Nachrichten noted that "Dortmund's top management met with Jobe Bellingham's camp at Sunderland earlier. It is reported that a transfer fee of about €25 million (approximately 39.4 billion won) has been set for Jobe, and Dortmund could gain a favorable position in negotiations depending on whether they qualify for the Champions League."

They added, "Rayan Cherki is a player Dortmund has shown interest in for a long time, and Dortmund has already attempted to recruit Cherki twice without success, making this the third attempt. Cherki is evaluated as an attacking midfielder with creativity and technical skills."

In particular, Cherki showcased his talent once again by scoring in both legs of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal against Manchester United on the 11th of last month.

The last name is 'Mr. X,' which remains undisclosed. The media reported that "specific information has not been revealed yet, but it appears to be part of a strategy to strengthen the midfield."

Ruhr Nachrichten stated that "this recruitment strategy is part of Dortmund's plan to inject young and dynamic energy into the midfield. In particular, this is interpreted as a move to fill the void left by Jude Bellingham's transfer to Real Madrid. Dortmund is expected to strengthen the team's competitiveness through midfield reinforcement during this summer transfer window."

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