Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool all want to sign “wonderful” Sunderland gem

One exciting Sunderland youngster could leave the Stadium of Light in a cut-price deal with a number of clubs circling for his services.

Sunderland’s January transfer window

The Black Cats and Michael Beale were fairly busy in the winter market, with the club continuing the trend of signing players aged 23 or under. Winger Romaine Mundle and defender Leo Hjelde joined on permanent deals from Standard Liege and Leeds United, whereas versatile midfielder Callum Styles joined on loan from Barnsley.

There were also a number of Sunderland players who left the club at the beginning of 2024.

Attention is now on the remainder of the Championship season as Beale looks to take his side into the playoffs, but off the pitch over the coming months, Sunderland could be in danger of losing an in-demand talent.

Update on future of Chris Rigg

The Sunderland Echo shared a transfer update on Rigg in the last 48 hours, and when it came to whether there was interest, said: “This isn’t what Sunderland fans will want to hear, but yes there is… and from just about every major club in Europe too. The Echo understands that Bayern Munich are keen as are Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.”

The report then adds: “Rigg is not yet eligible to sign professional terms and could, technically, move to another club if a fee was agreed between the two clubs. Sunderland would be compensated via a tribunal if Rigg was to leave at the end of his scholarship deal and move elsewhere.”

Rigg, who has played as a central and defensive midfielder this season for the Black Cats, has featured on seven occasions in the Championship this season.

In total, the 16-year-old has made 11 senior appearances for the club and has earned plenty of praise after coming through Sunderland’s academy. For example, former manager Tony Mowbray labelled Rigg as a youngster with “wonderful qualities” back in the summer.

“Chris Rigg is pushing really hard for a starting place in our team I would suggest, and I don’t say that lightly, he’s a 16-year-old boy. He knows where the goal is and wants to run forward, he’s got energy to burn and can keep running all day.

“He looks you in the eye and wants to please and do what you want him to do. He should have scored again to be honest, if he’d trusted his right foot he would have scored again.

“Rigg is doing really well and is a real positive for our football club. I’m eulogising about him there, we shouldn’t overly build him up. He’s still a young boy but he has wonderful qualities and wonderful attributes.”

However, it looks as if some of the biggest clubs in Europe are keen on his services, which isn’t exactly ideal news for Black Cats supporters, making this one to keep an eye on ahead of the summer.