Newcastle United are looking to raid Sunderland with a £1million move for teenage Chris Rigg – but Everton are also interested.
That’s according to The Sun, who claim that teenager Rigg is attracting major interest at the age of just 14.
It’s suggested that Rigg is ‘midfield dynamo’ and is incredibly highly rated at Sunderland.
Yet Sunderland could now lose Rigg before he even turns 15 with Premier League clubs eyeing seven-figure deals.
One interesting note is that Rigg allegedly comes from a family of Newcastle fans – despite him being in the ranks of bitter rivals Sunderland.
That means a move to St James’ Park would surely appeal to Rigg, especially with Newcastle embarking on an exciting project.
Newcastle appointed Sunderland’s Elliot Dickman at their new Under-23 coach in October, and he may have been able to supply some information on Rigg just from being around the Black Cats.
Paying £1million for a 14-year-old brings real pressure, and Newcastle will surely be seeing an enormous future for Rigg.
For Sunderland, this would be another disaster in terms of their youth ranks.
Sam Greenwood was Sunderland born and bred but chose to leave for Arsenal back in 2018. Now with Leeds United, Greenwood looks like a huge prospect.
The same goes for midfielder Luca Stephenson, who was born in Sunderland but quit the Black Cats for Liverpool in 2020.
Luke Hewitson and James McConnell have also joined Liverpool, Morten Spencer is now at Leeds whilst Manchester United secured deals for Logan Pye and Joe Hugill.
Sunderland may have Dan Neil thriving in their first team, but the sheer volume of young players leaving Sunderland has to be a concern.
Rigg could be the next, with Newcastle ready to flex their financial muscles in an effort to beat Everton to a deal.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
