Birmingham City and Everton join race for Sunderland star | OneFootball

Rigg is now attracting interest from ambitious League One outfit Birmingham, who could make a January offer for him.

Birmingham City are considering an ambitious move for Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg.

This is according to Alan Nixon, who believes that the League One side could even be willing to offer an eight-figure sum to persuade the Black Cats to sell him.

Blues were very ambitious during the summer transfer window, making several good additions, with their most high-profile signing of the summer coming on deadline day.

Jay Stansfield joined the club in a reported £20m deal, with £15m of that being paid up front.

That is unheard of for a third-tier side, but Tom Wagner and the board seem to be desperate to get the club back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

They also seem to be targeting bigger things beyond that, judging by their plans and the amount of money that they spent during the previous window.

Jordan James may have left the club, and that would have helped to free up some funds, but it's clear that the board spent more than they received in sale revenue.

Winning all but one of their league games so far this season, only dropping points in a draw against Reading, the Midlands club are on course to secure a second-tier return at the end of the season. But that may not be enough for ambitious owner Wagner.

They still have the January window to make additions before the season ends - and although it's unclear how much they will spend in January - financial fair play rules in League One mean they have the license to spend more on transfer fees.

This could allow them to make some impressive winter moves.

Birmingham City face competition from Everton in Chris Rigg race

According to Nixon, Birmingham are keen on Rigg and could be prepared to offer around £10m to try and get a deal over the line for the talented teenager.

With the club's owners knowing that they have fewer spending restrictions in the third tier, they are looking to use this to their advantage to sign Rigg, having already taken advantage of these relaxed rules by signing Stansfield in a big-money deal.

They aren't the only team in the mix for the 17-year-old though, with Manchester United's interest in the player already being reported.

And Nixon has now reported that Everton have also taken an interest in Rigg, with the Toffees holding a long-term interest in the talented Englishman.

It's no surprise that they have continued to keep tabs on the youngster, having seen him shine during the early stages of this season.

Chris Rigg must think carefully about his Sunderland future amid interest

At the moment, there's no point in Rigg moving to St Andrew's.

St Andrew's may be an exciting place to be, and there's every chance Birmingham could be very successful under Wagner, but the next move the 17-year-old needs to make is to a European top tier.

That doesn't mean he should automatically say yes to the Toffees, because they have struggled for a chunk of this term and relegation for them can't be ruled out.

Already doing well at the Stadium of Light and getting a decent amount of game time, staying put would be a good option for Rigg at this point.

At just 17, there's no need for him to rush, so he can afford to remain on Wearside for a decent amount of time.