Sunderland AFC set summer asking price for Newcastle and Real Madrid target | OneFootball

Sunderland have set their summer asking price for Chris Rigg

With the race for Chris Rigg set to intensify in the summer, Sunderland have set their asking price at £25m.

That's according to Caught Offside, who claim that Sunderland would be willing to part with Rigg in the summer if they get an offer in the region of £25m, and with a host of big clubs in the race, that figure certainly seems achievable.

Even at the age of just 17, Rigg has been a regular for the Black Cats this season and already has almost 50 Championship appearances under his belt, which is a healthy number for a player of his age.

Understandably, there was a reluctance from Sunderland to entertain any offers in January given they're in the middle of a promotion race, but once the dust has settled in the summer and they know what division they'll be playing in, it seems there's an acceptance that Rigg could leave.

Chris Rigg has a star-studded list of suitors

The teenage prodigy won't be short of options if Sunderland decide to cash in over the summer, with long-standing interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United now supplemented by a whole host of new clubs vying for his signature.

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea, Manchester City, Brighton, Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid are also among his potential summer suitors, going on to say that the Black Cats are now resigned to losing their prized asset.

If they are to lose him, then they'll be in receipt of a £25m fee in return, as the update claims that's the fee it will take to prize him away from Wearside.

It's a relatively small fee for clubs of that stature, so they may be willing to take a punt on a player who has been dubbed a future England international and has more first-team experience than most other players his age in academies up and down the country.

Big clubs are paying more attention to Championship talent

The elite of European football are starting to pay closer attention to the Championship to identify emerging talent, largely after the success of Jude Bellingham and Viktor Gyokeres, both of whom made their name in the second tier before impressing on the biggest stage.

Foreign clubs have been the benefactors of Bellingham and Gyokeres' success so far, and clubs will now be unwilling to allow that to happen with Rigg, whose career could follow a similar trajectory.

Sunderland are stacked with young talent at the moment, and although Rigg is perhaps the best of the lot, losing him may be financially beneficial and also beneficial to those behind him who are also looking to break out.