Real Madrid tracking 17-year-old English talent tipped to follow in Bellingham’s footsteps | OneFootball

Real Madrid are known for keeping tabs on exciting young talents coming through the ranks across the globe.

This strategy has helped them recruit players like Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo Goes, Arda Guler, and Endrick in the past and the club continue to remain attentive for other such young gems.

Recent reports have suggested that Real Madrid are tracking 18-year-old Brazilian prospect in Vitor Reis, and now another youth prospect from England appears to have caught their attention.

Real Madrid tracking Chris Rigg

Indeed, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, Real Madrid are tracking 17-year-old Sunderland midfield prodigy Chris Rigg, who has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham.

Rigg, 17, is a product of the Sunderland youth academy and made his first-team breakthrough last year. The attacking midfielder has since made 30 senior appearances for the English club, even scoring three goals.

Chris Rigg is impressing at Sunderland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Scouts following Rigg’s development speak highly of the teenage midfielder, hailing him as the ‘best young English player since Jude Bellingham’.

Rated very highly within England and outside, Rigg rejected proposals from Newcastle United and Manchester United in the summer to sign his first professional contract with Sunderland this past summer.

Real Madrid are understood to have been keeping an eye on Rigg’s developments for the past 12 months now.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have also shown an interest in the 17-year-old, as they look at him to potentially follow in the footsteps of Bellingham, whom they signed from Birmingham City when he was 17.

Rigg’s contract with Sunderland runs until the summer of 2027. There is no concrete talk of a move right now, but the young talent seems to be garnering interest from some of the topmost clubs across Europe.