Sunderland AFC face two transfer concerns, one involves Chris Rigg | OneFootball

The Black Cats need to keep hold of their key men in January

Sunderland have been the Championship's surprise package so far this term, and will be anticipating a key January transfer window where they will want to make small adjustments to their squad in order to keep up their automatic promotion challenge.

Regis Le Bris has got his side flying high in the second-tier, and numerous Black Cats players have been standouts across the whole league so far, with the club firmly in the race to finish in the top two alongside the likes of Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley.

Sunderland supporters and Le Bris alike will be anticipating January with both excitement over potential new additions, and slight apprehension, with their star men sure to be courted by higher-placed sides due to their impressive individual form since the start of the campaign.

With that said, Football League World have highlighted two transfer concerns that the Black Cats may have as the new year looms.

Significant top flight interest in Chris Rigg

Chris Rigg's talents have been hailed throughout English football since his emergence two years ago, and Sunderland have made it pretty clear that they have zero desire to let their 17-year-old midfield starlet leave midway through a season in which he has been key to their success so far.

Rigg plays well beyond his years and has been one of the Championship's leading stars this season, so looks destined to have a stellar career at the top level in the future, with numerous top clubs already reportedly interested in making him theirs in the new year.

The teenager's full senior breakthrough last season was well-documented, as he became one of the Black Cats' most important players in the second-half of the campaign, and the Sunderland Echo reported in February that his performances had seen him earn interest from the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

He stayed at Sunderland beyond the summer, though, as HITC revealed last month that he had rejected respective offers from Manchester United and Newcastle United, while his improved form this season has reportedly seen him garner further attention from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.

The race for the 17-year-old's services is definitely set to heat up as January beckons, and HITC also claimed in September that Manchester United’s hierarchy are looking closely at a deal as Sunderland brace themselves for offers, with sources believing that a deal could be agreed in January which would then see him make the move to Old Trafford next summer.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are all believed to have spoken to Rigg's representatives, while the likes of Dortmund, Bayern, Leipzig, Real Madrid and Barcelona each still maintain an interest in his services, and the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United all reportedly sent scouts to watch him last week.

His three-year contract that was signed at the Stadium of Light in the summer has given the club a lot of power in potential transfer dealings, and an impending departure is not set to be approved, after reports from the Northern Echo that claim that the Black Cats will resist all approaches for the teenager during the January transfer window.

Sunderland must continue to resist any potential bids for Rigg in the new year, as a move away does seem inevitable at some point in the future, but he is set to be imperative to their promotion challenge this term, and they cannot afford to lose him with a possible place in the Premier League on the horizon.

Interest in Dennis Cirkin after spellbinding opening few months of 2024-25

Black Cats left-back Dennis Cirkin has been one of the premier players in his position in the Championship so far this term, so it is no wonder that he has attracted transfer attention ahead of the new year.

Cirkin is into his fourth season as a Sunderland player now, after he joined the club from Tottenham while they were still in League One, and his development has been clear to see from a player who had no first-team experience at Spurs, to being one of the most highly-rated young full-backs in the Football League right now.

The 22-year-old had not missed a single minute of league action in the first 15 league games this season prior to a wrist injury that ruled him out of games against Millwall and West Brom, and he earned particular plaudits for his mazy solo run and impressive long-range finish against Coventry City in early November.

The Dublin-born defender has unsurprisingly earned interest from other sides ahead of the January window, with Leeds United reportedly keen on luring him away from the Stadium of Light according to the Sunday Mirror, via the Yorkshire Post.

The Black Cats, however, are not thought to be receptive to the idea of a fellow promotion hopeful taking one of their best players, and hold a strong position contractually with his current deal not set to expire until 2026.

A potential departure for Cirkin cannot be ruled out though, as his strong performances could very conceivably have caught the eye of Premier League teams in the lead up to the new year, and he is surely only set to improve as the season progresses.

Sunderland will not want to lose his services, not least due to his standout form, but also because of their already weak depth at left-back, with Aji Alese and Trai Hume both covering in his absence, but better in other positions, and Niall Huggins sidelined with a long-term knee injury.