Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray may have played down talk of the club signing Jobe Bellingham this summer, but now fresh reports suggest negotiations are already at an advanced stage with the Black Cats hopeful of concluding a deal.
The 17-year-old Birmingham City midfielder, who is the younger brother of Dortmund and England midfielder Jude, was at the Stadium of Light last week to watch Sunderland go 2-1 up against Luton Town in play-offs. Bellingham, who has previously been linked with Sunderland, caused a stir by turning up to watch the game.
Asked about the presence of the rising star at the Stadium of Light, Mowbray said; "One of my coaches is very close to the Bellingham family, he talks on national telly about his big brother at Dortmund, so maybe he's come to watch a big game because his season has finished. I don't know the answer [why Bellingham was at the game]. It's not something I am really privy to, to be honest."
