One Sunderland gem has now attracted interest from ‘most of the clubs at the top end of the Premier League’.
Sunderland‘s success with their young players since winning promotion has caught the eye of many clubs in the top flight.
Jack Clarke looks destined for the jump up this summer, while the likes of Dan Ballard, Trai Hume and Anthony Patterson have all been linked with moves away from Wearside.
Sunderland will be desperate to keep some of their star players, while they will be hopeful that they can at least make some decent money on those that they are unable to keep hold of.
Clarke is likely to make the Black Catsover £20 million if he leaves at the end of the season, while they would most likely demand more than the £8.5m price tag transfermarkt has put on Patterson.
However, one player that Sunderland will be afraid to lose is Chris Rigg, whose first year of his two-year scholarship is coming to an end this summer.
The 16-year-old rejected a number of clubs to put pen to paper on a scholarship deal with the Black Cats last year, but he is still able to leave to join another club if he wants to in a few months time.
Everyone wants Chris Rigg
There has been plenty of talk regarding Rigg’s future, while the Sunderland Echo have now reported that ‘most of the clubs’ at the top of the Premier League are interested.
Journalist James Copley wrote: “Rigg has developed a huge reputation in the game and should he opt to head elsewhere then there would be a queue of suitors. Most of the clubs at the top end of the Premier League would be keen, while there has also been some interest from either further afield in Europe.”
Chris Rigg signing a scholarship deal last summer means that Sunderland would have to accept at transfer offer for him if he was to leave, but that wouldn’t stop him from deciding that he doesn’t want to remain at theStadium of Light.
The teenager would be making a mistake if he leaves
The midfielder had probably considered bringing his stay at Sunderland to a premature end earlier this year, however he has since earned a regular spot in the starting line-up here and it seems very likely that it will remain that way next season too.
Rigg will know that if he did join a top Premier League club, then he would go straight down into their youth set-up, with a chance in the senior team most likely not on the cards for some time.
Now that he has had a taste of first team football, it would be a surprise to see him take that step down.
If he wants to play for a top Premier League club, then staying at Sunderland and making a name for himself in the Championship is a much better way to approach it.