An update has emerged on Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg and interest in his services ahead of the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to The Sun, the Black Cats' arch-rivals Newcastle United are eyeing up a swoop to snap the young prospect up from Wearside.

The report claims that the club are 'desperate' to keep hold of the 15-year-old talent but may struggle to do so as teams circle around him, with Everton also said to be keen.

It is stated that the Magpies are plotting a £2.5m raid on the Stadium of Light, although it is unclear if that will be enough to tempt Kristjaan Speakman into selling or not.

Tony Mowbray would be gutted

The Sunderland head coach would be gutted by the sale of a highly-rated talent with the potential to make the breakthrough into the first-team.

It would be a disaster for the Black Cats if sporting director Speakman opts to sell the youngster to Newcastle for £2.5m, for more reasons than one.

Firstly, the message that it would send to supporters would be a damaging one. It would signal to the fanbase that they are not in a place where they can manage to keep hold of their brightest prospects and that their noisy neighbours are more appealing as a club, which may not go down well on Wearside.

Along with that, Sunderland may well be losing a player with the quality to make an impact in the first-team in the future. At the age of 16, he has already made his way to the under-21 squad and captained England at youth level.

Journalist, and supporter of the club, Josh Bunting hailed the gem last month, tweeting:

"15 years of age and Chris Rigg is really impressing for Sunderland at 21’s level this afternoon. Making things happen, lovely and comfortable on the ball and confident at driving at the opposition. He is a key player to keep, can’t lose players like him at this stage."

This, along with interest from Premier League clubs, suggests that he is a future star for the Black Cats and that is why losing him would be a huge blow for Mowbray and the club.

The Sunderland boss will surely want to keep talented players on Wearside and that is why the prospect of losing Rigg should leave him gutted, as the 15-year-old is a player with the scope to develop into a key player given the hype he has attracted at such a young age.

Therefore, selling him to their bitter rivals would be a disaster for Speakman and one that the sporting director must avoid in the coming months.