Sunderland are making a nice habit of producing and nurturing young players, and selling them for sizeable transfer fees.
And although Sunderland have really only done that once, with the sale of Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town, they could’ve done it several times during the summer transfer window just gone.
Sunderland have several players in their first-team who attracted transfer interest over the summer, including names like Anthony Patterson, Dan Ballard, and Jobe Bellingham among others, and if any left then it would’ve been for a huge profit.
In the end, Clarke sealed an initial £15million move to Portman Road, after previously joining Sunderland for a rumoured fee of just £1million.
The latest name tipped to become a valuable asset, if he’s not one already, is academy product Chris Rigg.
Rigg signed a new Sunderland contract in the summer after making his breakthrough with the first-team last season, though this season under Regis Le Bris has seen Rigg become an important player in the Championship.
Now, there’s reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid interested in Chris Rigg at Sunderland
Rigg has started the last three league games under Le Bris, and right now, the Englishman seems undroppable.
He’s proving to be a very important player in the midfield, with his close control and neat passing allowing Sunderland to be very quick in the transition.
Amid reports of interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, BBC pundit Simon Pryde has given his verdict on Rigg.
He said on Total Sport: “I guess, unless Sunderland get promoted and continue to progress quickly, it almost feels inevitable that at some point, Chris Rigg – despite having signed a new contract – will leave.
“It’s just a question of Sunderland deciding when the right time is, and when the optimal time is in terms of getting a big transfer fee.”
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Do Sunderland realistically need promotion to keep hold of Chris Rigg
The same could be said of many Sunderland players; that if they don’t earn promotion then they could move on next summer.
Given the volume of interest in players last summer, it certainly now feels like there’s pressure to earn promotion this season, or Sunderland would face a a huge squad rebuild next summer.
And Rigg could be one of the first to be snapped up. But by signing a new contract in the summer, he’s shown that he’s comfortable at Sunderland, and he’s now seeing first-hand that he’s at a club where he can develop rapidly.
It could be a question of the transfer fee that comes in for Rigg, and what the club value him at right now.