Sunderland have a verbal agreement in place with this soon-to-be out of contract player. But he could still leave in the summer transfer window.
Sunderland are in a very good place right now.
The Black Cats are back in the Championship and already pushing for a return to the Premier League, with a star-studded squad and some big spending in the transfer market.
But boss Michael Beale may be tasked with a rebuild ahead of next season, with a lot of Sunderland players in demand and potentially leaving the club in the summer months.
Jack Clarke is the obvious one. Both Dan Ballard and Dan Neil have also been tipped to attract transfer interest in the summer too, and another one recently in transfer headlines is Chris Rigg.
The 16-year-old has recently been linked with a clutch of top European clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich.
Sunderland have verbal agreement with Chris Rigg
Sunderland Echo have revealed that ‘there is a deal in place’ which has been verbally agreed upon between Rigg and Sunderland, but that Rigg could leave anytime before that as he’s not yet 17, and not eligible for a professional contract.
The same report adds that the next four months before his scholarship runs out are crucial in tempting Rigg to stay at the club; which is perhaps why Beale recently revealed that he’s set to give Rigg some more game time in the coming weeks and months.
Rigg set for Championship exposure
Rigg, described as ‘wonderful’ by former boss Tony Mowbray, has already featured seven times in the Championship this season, scoring once.
He’s shown huge amounts of potential but at 16, he’s been kept largely in the youth ranks as he builds up his confidence and ability.
The Championship is a tough league and Rigg could quickly get disheartened if he’s thrown in at the deep end too soon.
But he’s been biding his time and now it looks like Beale is ready to really test Rigg, and see what he’s got to offer.
As mentioned above, the next few months are crucial in dictating where Rigg ends up next season; if he can work his way into the XI on a regular basis then he’ll surely be inclined to stay, rather than move to a top club and go back to playing youth football.
But nothing is granted and the lure of top clubs in Europe will always be tempting.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this story unfolds ahead of the summer.