Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham is poised for a big-money move to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

Jobe Bellingham is set to depart Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window.

After being a mainstay in Regis Le Bris’ promotion-winning side, Bellingham is poised to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother Jude, and make the move to Dortmund rather than playing in the Premier League.

Recruitment is one of the biggest tasks onLe Bris’ summer to-do list at Sunderland, and the club have recently been linked with an ambitious £25 million move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

As the transfer window ramps up, the Sunderland hierarchy’s next order of business following the imminent Bellingham sale is concerned with the contracts of two crucial stars.

Sunderland duo Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin’s worrying contract situation

Key Sunderland duo Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin are both entering the final 12 months of their current Black Cats contracts.

Roma have lodged interest in Neil recently after he captained his boyhood club back to the top flight.

Full-back Cirkin has also seen now-Premier League rivals Wolves track him throughout the season.

With interest in both Neil and Cirkin evident this summer, Sunderland must resolve the duo’s contractual matters and offer them both new, increased terms.

When questioned on the matter earlier this season, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman revealed that talks were shelved until the summer amid the club’s fight for promotion.

Speakman told the Northern Echo: “We’ve had those conversations with the guys. There’s no question over Dennis or Dan’s commitment to Sunderland.

“But I don’t think at the minute, it’s the right moment to be getting into too much of a conversation with them.

“That’s really just down to the short time period we’ve got to the summer. We’ve got so much to achieve, and we need to stay focused.”

With the departures of Bellingham and Brighton-bound Tommy Watson, the Black Cats can’t afford to lose either Neil or Cirkin, given their importance to Le Bris this season.

Why Sunderland cannot afford to lose Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin

Neil has been imperative to Sunderland’s midfield this season, operating as the defensive-minded member of the trio, allowing both his outside ‘number 8s’ to progress forward.

Before his injury issues, Cirkin was one of the Championship’s in-form full-backs, and his absence when on the sidelines was sorely felt by Sunderland.

There are Neil replacements that Sunderland could sign, with Roma poised for a move, but his presence as an academy graduate turned first-team regular is imperative to the nucleus of the Black Cats’ young side.

24/25 Statistic	Dan Neil	Dennis Cirkin
Games	48	39
Goals	2	3
Assists	3	2

Adding to that, taking away Cirkin’s ability to influence the game in defence and attack for Le Bris, the starting XI would be in a far worse place without the duo who have been a part of the club’s rise from League One to the Premier League.

As such, Speakman and the Sunderland hierarchy must act swiftly after Bellingham’s imminent departure, and tie the duo down on new deals ahead of next season’s Premier League campaign.

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