Fabrizio Romano: United make the same mistake twice after red-hot pursuit of England’s next superstar fails

Manchester United are set to miss out on another member of the same footballing family to Borussia Dortmund as Sunderland starlet Jobe Bellingham closes in a move to the Signal Iduna Park, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Red Devils came close to signing Jude, Jobe’s old brother, in 2020 after the Birmingham City midfielder was given a tour of the club with Sir Alex Ferguson even meeting the player as part of an elaborate courting process.

But the elder Bellingham rebuffed United’s interest in favour of a move to Dortmund that summer. And it appears the German club are set to repeat the trick with the younger brother.

Jobe has enjoyed a breakout campaign at the Stadium of Light as he helped propel Sunderland towards promotion into the Premier League after the Black Cats won the playoff final against Sheffield United.

The 19-year-old midfielder scored four goals and provided three assists while acting as the heartbeat of Regis Le Bris’ side. His performances were so impressive that he was crowned the Championship’s Young Player of the Year.

A host of clubs across England were exploring a deal this summer with Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all keeping an eye on the situation, as well as United.

Old Trafford scouts returned glowing reports on the Sunderland starlet, along with fellow youngster Chris Rigg who United are also strongly linked with.

But there was also interest from the Bundesliga with Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig all tracking Jobe’s progress in the hopes of striking gold twice with the same Bellingham import.

Sunderland retain hope their promotion to England’s top division would help convince the youngster to remain in the North East of England.

However, as Romano reveals, Dortmund have reached an “agreement” with Jobe on a five-year deal and are “expected to proceed and get the deal done with Sunderland in the upcoming days.”

🚨🟡⚫️ The agreement between Jobe Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund is done on five year contract.

BVB are expected to proceed and get the deal done with Sunderland in the upcoming days. pic.twitter.com/ApkehGVije

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 4, 2025

Tweet: “The agreement between Jobe Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund is done on five year contract. BVB are expected to proceed and get the deal done with Sunderland in the upcoming days.”

So it is back to the drawing board for United as the club could now shift focus to Rigg, with the 17-year-old technician proposed by The Peoples Person as a key target for the Reds this summer as part of an ambitious overhaul of Ruben Amorim’s squad. Perhaps there is an even younger Bellingham brother who will one day make the switch to Old Trafford.

Featured image Nathan Stirk via Getty Images

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