Sunderland are currently entertaining a growing amount of interest in young superstar Chris Rigg, with Manchester United keen.
Chris Rigg has arguably been the story of the season so far for Sunderland, and one of the stories of the Championship season so far too.
The 17-year-old has played in all six of the Black Cats’ Championship fixtures so far and has now started the last five, scoring his first goal of the season last time out.
Rigg scored the only goal as Sunderland beat Middlesbrough 1-0, putting the ball in the back of the net with the back of his heel.
Before that goal, Real Madrid were being linked with Rigg. Since, reports have claimed that Manchester United are keen on Rigg, who’s thought to be a perfect fit for their new model.
Manchester United could reportedly make a move for Rigg as early as January to fend off competition from other interested parties.
Archie Gray example is perfect baseline for Sunderland amid Chris Rigg interest
Whilst there’s a lot of reported interest in Rigg, there’s been no reports of potential asking prices for the Sunderland academy man.
The Black Cats fielded interest in a lot of their players over the summer, and more often than not, a £20million price tag was reported at the Stadium of Light.
Ipswich Town signed Jack Clarke for £20million. He was a proven player in the Championship and a proven goal-scorer.
But this summer, Tottenham Hotspur signed Archie Gray from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth £40million, and Gray had just one season of Championship experience under his belt.
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Sunderland shouldn’t be afraid to place hefty price tag on Chris Rigg
Many Sunderland fans feel strongly that the club received far too little for Clarke, and that a fee perhaps closer to Gray’s fee would’ve been fair.
But it seems to depend on who the buying club is; Spurs or Manchester United for example, never came in for Clarke, but Ipswich Town who have far less resources.
If United come in for Rigg then the Sunderland owners could, and should, up the price tag to ensure they get a fair price.
But there’s another dynamic to the deal; the timing. Should United come in for Rigg in January, he’ll have arguably one full season of Championship experience under his belt (a somewhat half-season last time round, and a half-season this time round).
Should United come in next summer, and say Sunderland get promoted under Regis Le Bris, it becomes a whole different ball game.
Either way, Gray’s move to Spurs has certainly proven that players like Rigg can go for huge amounts.