"I'd take £30m" - Sunderland AFC transfer claim on Chris Rigg issued as Inter Milan plot move | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit has discussed Inter Milan's reported transfer interest in Chris Rigg

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sunderland have been told to set a £30 million asking price for in-demand midfielder Chris Rigg, who is of fresh reported interest to Serie A giants Inter Milan.

The 17-year-old has been an extremely hot property for a while now, having been linked to a number of leading domestic and continental outfits, including the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Rigg caught the eye in flashes during the 2022/23 campaign - his first as a part of the senior side - but has stepped up to become a trusted and consistently-key performer under Regis Le Bris.

He has featured in 29 of Sunderland's 33 Championship matches, with all but two of his appearances being starts. Rigg has scored four goals this term too, forming a mightily-impressive midfield trio along with Jobe Bellingham and Daniel Neil.

It's no surprise, then, that interest in his signature is widespread, with Inter Milan the latest credited party.

According to Inter Live, the 20-time Italian top-flight champions are hopeful of landing Rigg over a host of English sides, with an offer in the region of €15 million (£12.5 million) being prepared.

Former Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi, who guided Inter to the Serie A title last term, is said to be particularly keen on Rigg and has said to have privately compared him to Spanish playmaker Luis Alberto.

That speaks volumes of Inzaghi's reported admiration for the young midfield prodigy, and it will be interesting to see if that materialises in the coming months.

Sunderland AFC transfer verdict offered on Inter Milan's Chris Rigg interest

FLW asked our resident Black Cats fan pundit, Jordan Newcombe, if he believes the interest from Inzaghi's side could turn Rigg's head and just what sort of sum it should take in order for him to be prized away from Wearside.

Jordan would "take" a fee of £30 million for Rigg, who signed his first professional contract just last summer. That's not to say he would actively be engineering an exit - Jordan would quite like to see Rigg stay put - but it has been argued that Sunderland should leverage Inter's status as a club and likely-significant transfer budget to collect the highest fee possible if he pushes to leave.

"With Chris Rigg, I don't think going to Inter Milan is his thing," Jordan told FLW.

"I could be wrong, we can't say or decide what's going on in a player's mind. Personally for me, I think it could go up to £30 million - £20 million is a hefty lot for someone of his age, but he is a class player so I think Sunderland will try and stretch to more from a team like them.

"If Sunderland don't go up, I do see him potentially looking for a move but is it going to be Inter Milan? I wouldn't like to sell him if we don't go up, I'd just like to keep him along with most of the players we've got.

"I'd take £30 million for him if he went to Inter Milan, because they're a big club and have got the money to fork out [that sum]. But I wouldn't like to see him go and definitely not for £20 million.

Sunderland AFC may need Premier League promotion to retain Chris Rigg amid transfer speculation

Much seemingly hinges upon whether Sunderland succeed or fall short in their pursuit of Premier League promotion. The Black Cats finished in mid-table last season and do not boast the wage bill or transfer budget of the other top three sides in the Championship - namely league leaders Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley - but there is a different kind of pressure.

Sunderland are overachieving at the minute, which is testament to both Le Bris and the squad as well as the wider youth-centred recruitment strategy leveled out by top-brass Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman.

But they are susceptible to losing their prized assets such as Rigg and the aforementioned Bellingham if they fail to earn promotion, which may be what's required in order to stand a chance at keeping the talented duo at the Stadium of Light for next term.

The Black Cats are fourth in the Championship table, but failed to close the eight-point between themselves and second-placed Sheffield United by losing to promotion rivals Leeds on Monday evening. With just 13 games left to play of the current season, it's hard to ignore Sunderland's automatic promotion hopes are just slipping away.

A play-off finish is pretty much nailed-on, of course, and that's likely to be Sunderland's most realistic shot at gaining promotion and having any realistic aspirations of keeping hold of Rigg, who could quite well play top-flight football elsewhere next season.