Sunderland wonderkid set to 'snub' Wolves amid transfer 'interest' from Manchester United

Wolves are reportedly keen to snap up Sunderland wonderkid Chris Rigg during the coming transfer windows but they could face disappointment, as the 17-year-old is expected to sign for a ‘bigger’ club.

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke on Football Insider. While Wolves’ interest in the player is apparent, they are far from the only club whose interest has been piqued by Rigg’s performances at the Stadium of Light.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid are all thought to be in the race for the Championship star’s signature. As such, it seems unlikely at this stage that Rigg will opt to sign for Wolves when some of the biggest clubs in the world are taking an interest in his services. He is under contract until 2027 - therefore, Sunderland are under no immediate pressure to sell him.

So far this season, Rigg has played in 14 games across all competitions for the Black Cats, scoring three goals along the way. Despite his young age, he has becoming a regular inclusion in Sunderland’s senior team, playing in all but one of their Championship games in 2024/25. He won the Championship young player of the month award in September - a testament to how well he has performed this season.

As things stand, Sunderland are top of the Championship table with 31 points from 15 games. It is a closely-run race at the summit of the Championship this season - they are only above Sheffield United on goal difference and they are only two points above third placed Leeds United.

With the second tier being so competitive this season, it seems unlikely that Sunderland will be willing to let Rigg go over the course of the January transfer window. Instead, they will probably be more open to selling him in the summer.

Black Cats head coach Regis Le Bris is a big fan of the player and said of him in September: "Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and what we want to build as a team and as a club. I don’t think the age is a problem. You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and you can have a low level of maturity at 30. It depends on the player’s personality. Chris still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game.

"I don’t say I am not surprised by him but when you create opportunities for young players you can discover many young talents. They just need opportunities. Some of them can succeed, for others it takes more time, months or even years. But Chris has this character, this personality to play whatever the circumstances so I like that. He is also a very good team-mate so he is a very good symbol for us."