Sunderland make approach to sign “outstanding” EFL star

Sunderland might be without Jobe Bellingham for their nerve-wracking Premier League adventure, but at least Regis Le Bris still has Chris Rigg to call upon for now.

Amazingly, Rigg is only 18 years of age, despite featuring a colossal 47 times last season for Le Bris’ promotion-winners.

The teenage sensation has rightly garnered lots of attention from higher up suitors; therefore, with Manchester United once reportedly keen on adding the breakout Black Cats star to their star-studded camp.

However, with Bellingham gone, Sunderland must do everything in their power now to keep Rigg at the Stadium of Light for the foreseeable future.

Sunderland interested in move for Rigg 2.0

Le Bris could well land his next iteration of Rigg this summer with a new target – one who’s three years older than Rigg – now on the radar.

Indeed, as per a new report from SportsBoom, Sunderland has made some initial enquiries about landing emerging West Bromwich Albion midfielder Isaac Price.

Burnley and Portsmouth are also named as being in the conversation about snapping up the young Northern Irishman, but Sunderland’s glittering track record with up-and-coming talents might well sway Price’s decision-making to swap the West Midlands for Wearside.

Whilst Price has shown flashes of his excellence from his short stay at the Hawthorns to date, he could really find that his game is elevated by moving to the Stadium of Light.

How Price could be Le Bris’ next Rigg

Whilst Rigg had been in and around the senior mix for some time before Le Bris’ arrival, he hadn’t yet captivated the Sunderland masses regularly until the ex-Lorient boss stormed through the door. It’s fair to say he now certainly has.

The teenager had excited fans at the Stadium of Light with his promising displays in youth circles for some time now but his first real breakout season in the senior side came just this campaign.

Amazingly, that would coincide with promotion being reached, with Rigg now desperate to prove himself in the Premier League, alongside his new potential teammate in Price who will be equally eager to cut his teeth at an elite level.

Much like the 18-year-old starlet, Price has been thrust into the spotlight from a very early age, with his debut for the Northern Ireland senior team coming when he was just 19 years of age.

This has proven to be a wise call ever since, considering the promising Baggies number 21 is up to six strikes already for his national side, despite only receiving 16 caps.

He has also shown why West Brom splashed out a rumoured £2.5m to win his services just this January, with Price managing to pick up one goal and one assist for his new employers from 15 appearances, even as their promotion hopes started to crumble.

He could kick on even more with Le Bris by his side, therefore, having seen what the ex-Lorient boss has managed with Rigg, with Price’s flexibility to play in a whole host of positions also drawing similarities to the Red Devils-linked youngster. Last season, the 18-year-old wildly lined up as a centre-forward on five occasions.

Dubbed as “outstanding” by former teammate Asmir Begovic when Price was a wide-eyed teen himself at Everton, this could be finally the time the Pontefract-born ace proves himself in the Premier League.

Sunderland’s approach of gifting up-and-coming youngsters plenty of minutes has worked wonders in the past, with that perhaps continuing if Price joins Le Bris’ growing camp very shortly.

Related

Sunderland now looking to re-sign “unbelievable” Bellingham replacement

Sunderland could well look to fill the void left behind by Jobe Bellingham by snapping up this unbelievable EFL ace.