Manchester United could raid Sunderland for one of their emerging young talents during the January transfer window.
Sunderland endured a summer transfer window of constant outside interest in their young and exciting first-team squad.
In the end, the only player who left was Jack Clarke. The winger joined Ipswich Town in a £20million deal, though several others could’ve left during the summer as well.
All of Anthony Patterson, Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, Jobe Bellingham, and Chris Rigg had transfer interest, with some having interest from some of Europe’s top teams.
Rigg was one; Bayern Munch were among the clubs looking into a deal for Rigg before he signed a professional contract with Sunderland, keeping him at the Stadium of Light until 2027.
And following his strong start to the 2024/25 season, Rigg has been linked with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, with several Premier League sides said to be keeping an eye on him.
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Manchester United tempted to make January swoop for Chris Rigg
Now, an emerging report from talkSPORT claims that Manchester United are weighing up a possible January swoop for Rigg, in a bid to beat the likes of Newcastle United to his signature.
TalkSPORT add that Rigg, who is just 17 years old, ‘perfectly fits’ the profile of youngster that the United hierarchy want to bring in.
Rigg has now featured in all six of Sunderland’s Championship games this season. He’s started the last five in the centre of midfield and scored his first goal of the season during the 1-0 win vs Middlesbrough last time out.
How much should Sunderland charge for Chris Rigg amid Man United interest
Right now, it seems as though Sunderland face a race against the clock where Rigg is concerned.
As a Championship club, and given his lack of experience, Sunderland might only be able to realistically charge £20million for the teenager.
But if they can fend off interest in January and then earn promotion under Regis Le Bris, Rigg’s transfer value surely shoots up.
And Rigg may even want to stay at Sunderland for this 2024/25 season; he’s playing regular football and improving every week, whereas if he went to United now, he might end up playing youth football again.
Rigg has already shown his faith in Sunderland by signing a new contract in the summer. After his impressive start as well, he might not be interested in a big move just yet.