The Sunderland owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, is determined to keep Jobe Bellingham after the club’s promotion to the Premier League despite growing interest from Germany in the England Under-21 midfielder. Sunderland are also considering an attempt to re-sign Jordan Henderson 14 years after he was sold to Liverpool for £20m. The 34-year-old England midfielder was at Wembley to watch the playoff final victory and is expected to be allowed to leave Ajax this summer.

Bellingham is believed to have held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt this week before heading to Ibiza to meet his brother, Jude, for a holiday. Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are also interested in the 19-year-old, who scored four goals in 40 appearances in the Championship this season.

While reports in Germany have stated Bellingham – who is expected to be part of Lee Carsley’s England squad for the European Under-21 Championships this summer – could be allowed to leave for around €30m (£25m), Louis-Dreyfus is understood to be reluctant to sanction his sale because he is considered to be a crucial member of the team. Tommy Watson, the 19-year-old who scored the dramatic last-minute winning goal in the playoff final against Sheffield United, has already been snapped up by Brighton for next season.

Crystal Palace have also shown an interest in signing Bellingham, although he is thought to prefer to follow his brother and move to the Bundesliga. If he is allowed to leave, then his former club Birmingham would be due a sizeable sell-on fee.