They made him sign an extension to get loaned to NF. He has one year left they are going to try to salvage a small fee.
I find it extremely hard to believe that the guy doesn’t care. That piece of this argument sounds like nonsense.
1. I believe he cares. But maybe just has a different view than the USMNT fan base does. 2. He simply may not have adapted overseas as well as Pulisic did - don't forget the drama with his parents, and that Pulisic had his dad with him for some time initially at Dortmund ... Gio did not have Claudio living in an apartment with him to help him out. That support system is/was vital. That has all been going on while he was 17 - 22 ... can't be a situation to ignore. 3. Perhaps Gio and CP both are taking the long view (perhaps CP is concerned about his own legs and that is why he is not playing at the GC) - and are interested in a life time of career earnings and not thinking about only today. 4. He still has technical skills and I don't see any evidence of long term physical damage ... ergo he will stay or get signed and have a chance next year to make progress.
If his drop off in speed is real, he also needs to change his game up, which he can only do by playing. But who would risk fielding a player that you're not quite sure what they are, especially at a high level. He could be a Riquelme type midfield general, but the game has moved on from those types and furthermore, guys like Riquelme were very, very hard to knock off the ball. They were strong, clever, and could withstand physical contact to make up for their lack of foot speed. So far I've only seen that Gio has the clever part down...
Should be stronger this coming season if he works at it over the summer. I wouldn't say he is weak on the ball as it is.
Sooner or later individual players are going to say "No!" to these endless cash-grabs. Once they do, their team mates are going to walk in solidarity. Meanwhile FIFPRO are working through the process of filing complaints with FIFA, which is surely the first step to filing at the CAS.
And the hammer will come down hard on those players, other guys will fill in, and fans will probably still pay to watch. It probably doesn't come down to player power, but to fan and money power. I think the idea of a club world cup is really cool -- but only if you remove a whole bunch of other meaningless cash grabs to make room for it
🚨🟡⚫️ EXCL: Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, here we go! 💣€33m fixed fee, €5m add-ons to Sunderland… and also 15% sell-on clause.Record sale for #SAFC and huge fee after initial €20m bid rejected. Excellent addition for BVB.Another Bellingham in Dortmund! 🫂🐝 pic.twitter.com/2W0pRcTHel— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2025 Jobe bellingham. Let him go for free + sell on
And I thought I was dismissive of him! Nonetheless, the basic idea is sound. His salary is €2.5m and he's a full international. A few half-decent cameos at the Club World Cup should persuade one or two of the lurkers to show their hand. They could still get €5-6 million for him. Give him €1m to cover his reduced salary and they have enough to cover the salary of someone useful. Why let him go for zero?
Yeah not “free” but you get what im saying. Also easier for a team to be okay giving him salary if they outlay less on the transfer
Besides, anyone advising him who expects more than what he's on now is divorced from reality. At his age, find a club with a good FO and coaching staff that knows why it wants you and if they can't pay exactly what you want, negotiate a buyout clause and a share of the fee
Turner and Gio are both trapped by contracts. An MLS loan makes the most sense for both of them IMHO.
I'm just spitballin' here, but what about a move to Leverkusen. They'll have plenty of cash after the sale of Wirtz. They're in transition and will need the help. His Dad played there. And, he wouldn't have to relocate. If anything his daily commute would be shorter.
I'm really not sure what the CWC looks like after this summer. If FIFA doesn't sell a ton of tickets OR DAZN doesn't see good viewership numbers, I don't know where FIFA gets a free $1bn for the prize purse in 4 years. It was pretty serendipitous that DAZN bid so much for the broadcast rights, and it has to be noted that DAZN is, uhhh... not a financially healthy company.
He is still part of the 18 .... but unlikely he will be used much. They do need to trot him out to show possible suitors he is still healthy.
Okay, but from Gio's perspective, wouldn't it better for him to be getting 45min (or more) for the USMNT in a friendly or Gold Cup than playing garbage time for Dortmund? He would have at least gotten one start for us I think. Would be better for generating transfer interest.