Crystal Palace monitoring £27m target who is 'frustrated' after just 2 league starts

Crystal Palace are said to be on ‘alert’ over a situation involving a player they are said to have targeted in the recent past. The Eagles have been smart investors over recent years, with now former sporting chief Dougie Freedman doing an excellent job of identifying talent both home and abroad.

One young talent Palace are said to have liked the look over recently is now former Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of brother Jude.

After helping Sunderland to promotion, Bellingham junior joined Borussia Dortmund on a £27million deal, but while he was always going to be something of a long-term project for Dortmund, moving from a Championship club to a to-level Bundesliga club competing in the Champions League, it’s reported that the young midfielder has found patience hard to come by.

GiveMeSport have reported that Bellingham is currently frustrated at Dortmund, making 13 appearances across all competitions so far, while he has only started two of his first six Bundesliga appearances.

There were reports in August that the player’s father, Mark, had confronted Dortmund chief Sebastien Kehl in the tunnel at half-time when the midfielder was substituted halfway through his league debut.

That naturally led to Dortmund changing their policies to restrict the access that family has to areas during and after games.

In the meantime, Bellingham has been plugging away, and before the international break he was defended by Dortmund boss Niko Kovac, who said: "Sure, he made one or two bad passes. But the boy is 20, and there's a lot of nervousness.

“I think he did well; he was agile, counter-pressed, and used his mass to block one or two opponents. I was very pleased with his performance. We don't want to see everything so negatively; on the contrary: I see a lot of positives. But he's 20, and we can still improve a lot."

Meanwhile, Dortmund star Marcel Sabitzer said last month: “Jobe is a good kid. I get along with him really well. We exchange a lot of ideas. He has potential and we’re delighted to have him in our team,”

GiveMsSport say Palace are still monitoring Bellingham’s situation in case he becomes available again. Dortmund are not likely to give up on their long-term investment already, especially given the cost of it, with any move surely likely to be a loan move.

The German giants have long been patient with their talents and they have a rich history of producing some of the best in Europe, so a change of strategy is not likely to be forthcoming, whether Bellingham likes it or not. And it is important to note that claims of Bellingham being unsettled are only media claims, with the player not voicing any frustration publicly.

Your next Palace read, Sheffield United take 'role model' former Crystal Palace star on trial