Tottenham and Crystal Palace ‘scouts closely watching Jobe Bellingham’
Tottenham and Crystal Palace scouts have been keeping tabs on Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham this season, according to their former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Blackburn, and remains very well-connected within the game, exclusively told Football Insider that a number of Premier League clubs are interested in the 19-year-old.
If Regis Le Bris’ side fail to gain promotion from the Championship this season, they will be forced to accept significant bids for a number of players.
This comes after Football Insider revealed on 10 February that the Sunderland are prepared to accept “huge offers” for Bellingham this summer.
Sunderland’s plan had initially been to hold on to their key players beyond this season to help them continue their development at the club.
However, promotion to the Premier League is thought to be key to their long-term plans and failure to achieve their goal could derail those plans.
As things stand, they are seven points away from Leeds in the first automatic promotion place, but remain 15 points clear of Coventry in seventh.
Sunderland to listen to Jobe Bellingham offers this summer
Bellingham has impressed with his performances in the Championship so far this season with four goals and three assists coming in his 28 appearances.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that the Black Cats will listen to offers as he may be ready to make the step up.
“I think Sunderland would let him go if they got a good price for him,” he told Football Insider.
“Especially if they don’t get promoted this season, they’re going to listen to offers.
“It feels to me like they’re short of a couple of real top-class players.
“You’ve got the goalkeeper who’s not bad, he’s promising, then you get Rigg who’s the same.
“Then you’ve got Bellingham, and there have been questions about whether he’s good enough to make that step up at this point.
“Crystal Palace and Tottenham have had scouts watching him this season so they’ll be two of the teams in the running if he is going to leave.
“So it’ll be up to them to assess whether he’s ready to make that jump.
“From a Sunderland point of view, knowing the way the owners want to operate, I think if they get a huge bid for him then they’ll let him go.“
Chris Rigg to stay a Black Cat amid Man United interest
Another young Sunderland gem who has been tipped for a move away this season is Chris Rigg, who has been watched closely by Palace and Man United.
The promise of regular game time should play a key role in his future given his age, and there is a belief he could spend at least one more year in the North East.
Rigg has been a key player in Le Bris’ starting XI, having started 26 of his side’s 32 Championship games so far this season, and is attracting plenty of interest.
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