Sunderland are reportedly closing in on the signing of Birmingham City midfielder Jobe Bellingham.
The Black Cats have enjoyed a productive campaign back in the Championship, securing a spot in the playoffs on the final day of 2022-23.
On Saturday evening, Tony Mowbray's side edged closer to promotion with a 2-1 triumph over Luton Town in the first leg of their semi-final tie, the reverse fixture taking place on Tuesday.
However, despite the uncertainty over which league they will participate in next season, it appears that work is already well under way behind the scenes regarding new arrivals.
According to The Northern Echo, Sunderland are on the brink of finalising a deal for Bellingham.
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The 17-year-old, who is the younger brother of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, is said to have been in attendance at the Stadium of Light for the Luton game.
Despite his age, Jobe racked up 665 minutes of senior action with Blues this campaign, making five starts and 17 substitute outings in the second tier.
The bulk of his game time came during the run-in when Birmingham had ensured that they would not face a late-season relegation scrap, the idea seemingly being to hand the England Under-18 international valuable game time.
Nevertheless, it appears that Bellingham - whose contract runs until 2024 - will instead leave St Andrew's for the North East.
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The report adds that Bellingham and his family are familiar with Sunderland coach Mike Dodds after working with him in the past at Birmingham.
As it stands, it is unclear whether the current takeover process at the West Midlands outfit will hinder any further developments, with Birmingham known to be far down the line in acquiring new owners.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that they may choose to replace manager John Eustace with Mark Hughes, despite the former guiding the club to their joint-best finish in the Championship in seven years.
Bradford City, Hughes's current team, are involved in their own playoff bid, and no decision on that front will be made in the short term.
Darren Plant
