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Borussia Dortmund intensify talks to sign Tottenham target; currently leading transfer race

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 9:11 AM ET

Tottenham are set to miss out on summer target Sunderland talent Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund

Tottenham Hotspur are already facing a dilemma in their attempts to bring in their summer transfer targets.

Although Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is still waiting to discover whether he has done enough to save his job, with chairman Daniel Levy expected to confirm if he stays or leaves in the coming days, the Lilywhites have been putting plans in place to strengthen a squad which ended their trophy drought.

They managed to overcome Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao last month and salvage their season. This not only ended the North Londoners’ 17-year trophy drought but also booked them a spot in next season’s Champions League. Their focus has now turned to next season, with several new signings expected this summer.

One of Tottenham’s targets going into the summer was Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham. The club has been interested in signing the youngster since January.

Jobe Bellingham has attracted serious interest from clubs across Europe after having been a mainstay in Sunderland’s successful push for Premier League promotion in 2024/25. Manchester United were following the England youth international ahead of the summer transfer window. However, he has now agreed a move to join one of Europe’s leading clubs.

According to an exclusive report from CaughtOffside, Bellingham is keen to join Borussia Dortmund this summer. Talks are taking place between Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland for the midfielder, who has a €40m release clause in his contract. However, Dortmund just want to pay €30m, so negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs.

Jobe would view this as an opportunity to move to Dortmund and make a name for himself on the international stage, much like his brother Jude did before him and joined Real Madrid in 2023. The 19-year-old was named the Championship’s Young Player of the Year last month. He was also named in the Championship team of the season following a strong season, which yielded seven goal contributions in 43 appearances across all competitions.

Losing out on Bellingham Jr. will no doubt be a blow for Spurs. The Englishman performed consistently for Sunderland in the Championship, impressing in his box-to-box role under Regis Le Bris. But with the player having given priority to join Dortmund, the Lilywhites will have to turn attention elsewhere.

The midfield remains an important position to strengthen going into the new season, especially after the club’s qualification in the Champions League. Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur have both entered the final year of their contracts. With Spurs willing to cash in on Bissouma, they’ll require a combative presence to replace him in the middle of the park.

It will be interesting to see who our club targets after missing out on the highly-rated Bellingham.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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