Jobe Bellingham signs first pro contract at Birmingham to derail Borussia Dortmund plan

The brother of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, Jobe Bellingham, has signed his first professional contract with Birmingham City.

The starlet and his Championship club had to wait until the player’s 17th birthday to get the deal signed. But with his birthday on September 23, Bellingham junior has penned the contract.

Bellingham accepted Birmingham’s undisclosed contract offer in July when he agreed to sign this month after he turned 17.

Birmingham said on their official website: “With this milestone reached, he has officially penned terms on his first pro deal with the football club.

“Earlier in the summer, he signed a scholarship with Birmingham City and this season has made four first-team appearances, bringing his personal tally to seven in royal blue.”

Bundesliga giants Dortmund have been tracking Jobe, who is a No.10 for Blues. Whether or not the formal contract will put off the German side is not yet clear. Both Bild and the Daily Mail reported that Jobe was been closely watched by BVB after his exploits in the first team, aged just 16.

Bild claimed BVB were plotting a move for Jobe in a bid to keep Jude with the club. All the Premier League’s big guns are chasing Jude, who has had a £131m price tag placed on his head.

But the German publication have suggested previously that Jobe could follow in his brother’s footsteps. And not only would he be reunited with his brother, but also with his mum Denise, who often drives Jude to Dortmund’s training HQ in Brackel.

Jobe Bellingham on England duty

Bellingham jnr made his Blues debut aged 16 as a substitute in their FA Cup defeat to Plymouth in January. And he has made three appearances off the bench in the Sky Bet Championship this season.

He is currently on international duty with England Under-18s, who are scheduled to play the Netherlands, the Faroe Islands and Belgium in the Pinatar Cup in Spain.

Jude made 44 appearances for Birmingham – he also made his Blues debut aged 16 – before joining Dortmund in 2020 for an initial fee of £25m.

Jude became the most expensive 17-year-old in football history. And the deal cam with an extra £1m of almost guaranteed money, and “several millions more” depending on appearances, achievements and milestones.