Sunderland stance emerges on transfer Man Utd want with or without Ruben Amorim

Manchester United are showing strong interest in signing Sunderland sensation Chris Rigg in January, and a report has outlined how the Black Cats will respond.

Ruben Amorim is primed to become the next permanent manager of Man Utd. The Portuguese will officially take the reins in the November international break, with his first match in charge set to be the Premier League clash with Ipswich Town on November 24. Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain in temporary charge for the time being.

Attention at Old Trafford will quickly turn to the January transfer window once Amorim has arrived. However, the club reportedly intend to make a signing with or without Amorim’s input.

Man Utd are desperate to bring Sunderland’s 17-year-old sensation, Chris Rigg, to the club. The attacking midfielder has quickly established himself as a regular starter for the table-topping Championship side and has already been described as the ‘best young English talent since Jude Bellingham.’

A prior report from GiveMeSport claimed Man Utd would seek to sign Rigg irrespective of who their manager is. Erik ten Hag was in charge at the time of that report and it stands to reason United will push ahead with their plans after Amorim arrives.

Rigg is reportedly the type of player Man Utd hope to build their future around and TEAMtalk can verify the club’s interest is strong.

But according to a fresh update from Football Insider, Man Utd may be met with a brick wall from Sunderland.

They claim Regis Le Bris’ side ‘will do everything they can’ to prevent Rigg from leaving in January. Their reasoning behind that stance is understandable – Sunderland are chasing promotion to the Premier League and don’t wish to lose such a crucial player mid-season.

Will Sunderland cave to Man Utd pressure?

One potential compromise could come in the form of Rigg being signed by a club like Man Utd who then loan the player back to Sunderland for the remainder of the season.

But from a Sunderland perspective, the ideal outcome would be any and all offers in January are rejected and Rigg stays.

Indeed, with the player on a massive upwards trajectory, his valuation in the market could rise and rise between January and the summer. Selling early could deprive Sunderland of an even greater windfall.

Man Utd are by no means alone in chasing the England Under-18 international. Heavyweight competition comes in the form of Real Madrid, while the likes of Newcastle and Everton are also interested.

The latter two on that list – Everton especially – could potentially offer Rigg a quicker route into the first-team.

Rigg signed a three-year contract with Sunderland over the summer that runs until 2027. As such, Sunderland are not under pressure to cash in.

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Rigg vs Bellingham in breakthrough seasons

Rigg became Sunderland’s youngest ever goalscorer in senior competition back in August of 2023.

Aged just 16 years and 51 days, Rigg netted in an EFL Cup clash with Crewe Alexandra.

The midfielder also went on to become Sunderland’s youngest ever league scorer less than one month later when bagging in a 5-0 victory over Southampton.