Jobe Bellingham is looking to follow in his brother’s footsteps by joining Borussia Dortmund – but with a different name on his back.
Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham cemented himself as a household name while wearing the number 22 shirt at BVB.
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That jersey could now be available to his younger sibling, Jobe, who has decided to continue the family tradition of playing in Germany.
Dortmund believe the Sunderland star wants to join them ahead of their transfer rivals, talkSPORT understands.
However, should the move go through, fans won’t be seeing the name Bellingham return to the back of Dortmund shirts next term.
Why Jobe doesn’t have Bellingham on his shirt
Jude’s younger brother currently wears the No.7 shirt at Sunderland with his first name on the back.
The Black Cats star opted for a shirt change as he wants to create his own identity rather than being compared to his older sibling.
Jobe made his debut for Birmingham’s senior side as a 16-year-old with the Bellingham name in January 2022.
However, he decided to rebrand upon his switch to Sunderland in June 2023, just over a week after his brother Jude joined Real Madrid.
The move, which required approval from the English Football League, was seen as an attempt to lighten the load of the Bellingham name.
Tony Mowbray, who was Sunderland’s manager at the time, explained: “I think he’s trying to create his own identity.
“He doesn’t want to live off the back of his brother’s name; he wants to be the footballer that he is and show people what he can do.”
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Jobe, two years Jude’s junior, signed for Sunderland from the family’s boyhood club, Birmingham City, in the same summer his older brother headed to Spain.
The older Bellingham named his sibling as one of three players who could follow him in winning the Golden Boy award last year.
Jobe previously held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over a potential move to the Bundesliga side.
The 19-year-old jetted to Germany just days after the Championship play-off final to visit the club’s facilities.
He has three years remaining on his contract at the Stadium of Light after signing an extension last summer.
Since signing from Birmingham in 2023, Bellingham has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 90 appearances for the club.
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Jude, meanwhile, spent three years with BVB after signing from Birmingham as a 17-year-old in 2020.
He went on to win the German Cup in his first season, en route to making 132 appearances for Dortmund.
Real Madrid ultimately made Bellingham the most expensive British player ever in 2023 by completing a £115million deal to sign him.
Just two years on, he has already won five major trophies, having lifted both LaLiga and the Champions League in his debut campaign.
