Chelsea blow Man Utd out of the water with Bellingham transfer

Chelsea are in pole position to secure the signature of Jobe Bellingham this summer, according to a report.

Tuesday evening proved to be a disappointing one for the Bellingham family. While big brother Jude and Real Madrid were on the receiving end of a demolition job by Arsenal in the Champions League, Jobe missed Sunderland‘s clash with Norwich due to injury.

READ MORE: Mbappe has made Real Madrid the new PSG

The 19-year-old was omitted from the game as a precaution because a minor ankle problem he had earlier in the season flared up again. Without their star midfielder, Sunderland only mustered a scoreless draw with the middling Canaries.

The Black Cats are still in a comfortable position in the Championship table, sitting fourth with a whopping 13-point cushion on Bristol City in fifth. Sunderland will most likely have to go through the playoffs, but there is a decent chance that they will be playing in the Premier League next term.

However, even if they don’t manage to get promoted, the expectation is for Bellingham to play top-flight football next season as he remains one of England’s most sought-after commodities.

READ MORE: Chelsea MILES ahead of Man Utd in race for English wonderkid

Chelsea favourites for Bellingham

Due to his illustrious name and evident potential, the versatile midfielder has been on the radar of top English and European clubs ever since he burst onto the scene at boyhood club Birmingham, who won promotion back to the Championship on Tuesday.

Bellingham has long since been associated with a potential move to Man Utd, but CaughtOffside now reports that Chelsea are actually leading the race for his signature.

The Blues are said to be ‘showing the strongest interest’ in the teenager, although plenty of other clubs are also closely monitoring his development at the Stadium of Light.

So far, however, Chelsea have yet to make a formal approach for Bellingham, who remains fully focused on helping Sunderland return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.