Sunderland AFC will surely look to Leeds United amid Chris Rigg transfer saga | OneFootball

The Black Cats will look at the price tag of Archie Gray when setting an asking price for Chris Rigg.

Sunderland are firmly in the mix for promotion to the Premier League, and will have at least a shot at returning to the big time through the play-offs.

The Black Cats have been impressively consistent throughout this season under Regis Le Bris, and are currently fourth in the second tier table, 15 points clear of seventh-placed Middlesbrough.

The Wearside outfit would have to go on a tremendous run of form to break into the top two though, as they currently sit nine points away from Leeds United for an automatic promotion place.

Therefore, it’s likely Sunderland will be in the lottery of the play-offs and have an equal chance of any other side to end their eight-year exodus from the top-flight.

One player to have contributed heavily to their success under the Frenchman is Chris Rigg, with such stellar performances from the youngster linking him away with big-money moves to some global heavyweight teams.

As Sunderland consider what asking price to set heading into the summer transfer window, the club take a leaf out of Leeds United’s book, who similarly sold youth talent Archie Gray for a sizeable figure to Tottenham Hotspur.

Chris Rigg linked with Sunderland exit

At the age of 17, Chris Rigg has made the Championship stage his own, breaking through into the Sunderland first-team picture to be such an influential asset to Regis Le Bris’ system.

Featuring 35 times this season and starting 30 of them, Rigg has notched four goals and one assist, establishing himself as a regular in the Black Cats XI to have them fighting towards promotion back to the big time.

At such a young age and so much time to develop further, Rigg has had multiple Premier League teams enter the frame for his signature, with Manchester United reportedly placing the midfielder at the top of their summer wishlist, while West Ham and Everton have both been rumoured to be eyeing up a move for the promising talent.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur were rumoured to have made a £38 million bid to Sunderland for Rigg a couple of weeks ago, while European sides have also been monitoring the situation, with Italian giants Inter Milan considering entering the race this summer.

With a host of clubs interested, Sunderland will have to stand firm to get the right price that they want in order to continue to build up a competitive squad for years to come.

Sunderland should be inspired by Leeds United, Archie Gray sale for Chris Rigg approach

Despite the interest, Sunderland are still in the driving seat to demand what they like for Chris Rigg, and the Black Cats should look at the way Leeds United handled the Archie Gray transfer saga, and managed to get a significant fee to bolster their squad ahead of this season.

The Whites would eventually sell their academy graduate to Tottenham Hotspur in the region of £40 million, which is something Sunderland should set as a benchmark for a player of Rigg’s potential.

The reported bid from Spurs was close to that figure, which means Sunderland could likely demand even more than what Leeds got for Gray, which would really help steady the financial ship at the Stadium of Light as well as allow Sunderland to increase the quality level in their squad – regardless of whether they are in the Championship or the Premier League next term.

Rigg certainly has the capability to go right to the top of the game, and Sunderland shouldn’t be compromising over a price for a player they have put full faith in since he entered the professional scene.