Man Utd readying transfer move to beat Newcastle United to Sunderland star | OneFootball

The Black Cats look set to face a battle to keep one of their key players, with Chris Rigg wanted by the Red Devils.

Premier League giants Manchester United are ready to step up their interest in Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg.

According to talkSPORT, the Red Devils could move for the player as early as January, after seeing him shine during the early stages of the 2024/25 campaign.

Rigg has been labelled as a high-potential player for a long time now - and made his senior Black Cats' debut at 15 under Tony Mowbray.

He scored his first league goal for the club during the early stages of last season in a 5-0 hammering of Southampton, but he wasn't always one of the first names on the teamsheet during the 2023/24 campaign.

This is understandable, considering he's only 17 at this stage and doesn't turn 18 until next June, but he has been a regular starter under Regis Le Bris this season.

Starting in all but one of their league games and coming on as a substitute against Cardiff City on the opening day of the campaign, Rigg will be delighted with the amount of game time he's winning at this stage.

This game time is likely to have given him plenty of confidence - and his morale would have only been boosted further after his goal in the Wearside club's derby against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

His excellent goal caught the headlines and interest in his signature will only increase if he can continue to shine under Le Bris.

Already looking at home in the Championship, many supporters of the Wearside club believe he may even have a higher ceiling than Jobe Bellingham, who looks set to be a real star in the future and potentially follow in his brother's footsteps.

Manchester United prepared to step up Chris Rigg interest

Rigg is believed to be attracting interest from multiple clubs in the English top tier, including the Red Devils and Newcastle United, according to talkSPORT.

In a potential attempt to beat Newcastle and other teams to his signature, it's believed that Erik ten Hag's side could move for the 17-year-old in January.

He's also the type of young player that INEOS want to build United's team around, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them make a winter offer for the midfielder.

With other teams monitoring his progress though, they may face a major battle for his signature.

Chris Rigg needs to think carefully about Sunderland future

Rigg could receive a major pay rise if he moved up to the top tier.

However, a move up a level may not be the right thing for him at this point.

He may already be shining in the second tier, but he needs game time more than anything else at this point and a move away from the Stadium of Light would be a gamble for him.

Right now, it's a gamble the teenager doesn't need to take, and he needs to continue gaining senior experience on Wearside before he moves on.

The midfielder is only in the early stages of his career, so he may have plenty of opportunities to move in the future, even if he doesn't secure an exit from the SoL in January.