Sunderland eye Manchester City midfielder as Jobe Bellingham replacement

A potential replacement for the seemingly outgoing Jobe Bellingham at Sunderland could come from Manchester City, according to new reports.

The latest report takes a break from a long line of information concerning Manchester City and potential incomings into Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad, with a number of big-money arrivals on the verge of completion.

Rayan Ait-Nouri is expected to strengthen the left-back position followed by Tijjani Reijnders’ addition into central midfield, and completed by Rayan Cherki adding creativity into the forward line beyond Kevin De Bruyne and his pending exit.

But off the back of a disappointing season in the first-team, and an exemplary campaign for those at Under-21 level for City, changes are expected as stars eye fresh opportunities away from Guardiola’s plans and others target opportunities at the senior level of the game.

On the subject of the latter, it now seems as though Charlie Gray could be one name looking towards the next steps in his career, off the back of a season that saw him register 29 appearances across all competitions at youth level, scoring once and providing eight assists.

Now, according to the information of The Sun’s Alan Nixon, newly-promoted Premier League outfit Sunderland could turn towards City’s Academy system and the aforementioned 19-year-old as a potential replacement for the expectedly-outgoing Jobe Bellingham this summer.

Bellingham is expected to join Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund on a permanent deal this summer, following in the footsteps of his elder brother Jude, with a €33 million fixed fee reported plus a further €5 million in potential add-ons to Sunderland.

Charlie Gray has spent his entire youth career at Manchester City, signing for the Club aged just eight and progressing on to be a scholar, rising into the Under-18s by the 2022/23 campaign and registering 19 appearances at that level in 2023/24.

Sunderland have had fond experiences dealing with Manchester City, having secured Callum Doyle in a hugely successful loan spell in the 2021/22 campaign, and currently showcasing Patrick Roberts’ best levels following a difficult time at the Etihad Stadium for the winger.