Sunderland can no longer dismiss a star’s links to West Ham as paper talk but there’s concern for Spurs too.
West Ham are already involved in two transfer battles with rivals Tottenham Hotspur – that we know about.
Now a third can be added to what’s likely to become an ever-growing list.
Sunderland hold the keys at the moment – but not for too much longer.
West Ham and Tottenham are fighting it out for Lille’s soon-to-be free agent duo Jontahan David and Angel Gomes.
Spurs and Hammers battling for third star
Sunderland meanwhile are fighting to get back in the big time so they too can one day be in the mix for those kind of top talents again.
In the meantime the Black Cats have done a brilliant job of assembling a hungry team of young stars in their bid to return to the Premier League.
Sunderland now look set for a play-off spot at best, though. So promotion is very much in the balance.
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That is clearly giving both West Ham and Tottenham encouragement over yet another player the London rivals are said to be battling it out for.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
It was reported at the weekend that West Ham are just £10m away from a deal for Chris Rigg.
No sooner had the Hammers been linked with Sunderland’s 17-year-old sensation than Spurs have arrived on the scene.
With both clubs massively underperforming this season, they will once again be shopping in the same market this summer.
Although Tottenham still have the possibility of securing a window advantage over the Hammers by securing Champions League football – if they go on and win the Europa League.
The Hammers’ interest in Rigg is more invested than Tottenham’s in terms of timescale.
Tottenham have just arrived on the scene whereas West Ham were linked with Sunderland’s England Under 18 after Graham Potter and new head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay arrived in January.
Sunderland will be worried by source of new Rigg leak
Rigg is labelled as an ‘attacking midfielder’. But in reality his game is being a high energy, box-to-box central midfielder who can do a bit of everything.
His dynamic displays have helped Sunderland push hard for a return to the top flight.
So they would be loathe to lose the homegrown star.
But Sunderland will be worried by the source of a new leak as West Ham surge ahead of Spurs for the star.
It was recently claimed that Rigg’s family are pushing him towards the Hammers, where they believe he will have the best opportunity of developing.
Sun journalist Alan Nixon claimed at the weekend that West Ham were £10m away from Sunderland’s valuation of Rigg.
Nixon has strong contacts in the game but there’s been a fresh claim from an even better source.
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Sunderland fans may have written the Rigg rumours off as the usual pre-summer window paper talk.
Especially coming during an international break.
But now another journalist with very strong links to West Ham’s owners has made a new claim about Rigg’s future.
Jacob Steinberg – a reporter for The Guardian – is well connected inside the London Stadium.
So Sunderland should be concerned that he is now reporting on the serious move West Ham are preparing for Rigg.
Tottenham should be concerned too.
West Ham surge ahead of Spurs for star says Steinberg
Because Steinberg says Spurs have also started tracking Rigg but it is West Ham that have put themselves into a very strong position to ‘advance’ the deal.
Steinberg says Potter and Macaulay love Rigg and that it has been made clear to the Hammers board the Sunderland star is a player they want at West Ham.
The journalist’s long-established contacts at West Ham add considerable weight to the Rigg claims.
It is now looking increasingly likely that he could be the poster boy for West Ham’s rebuild around energetic young stars this summer.
So Tottenham may have to look elsewhere.
It’s not all bad news for Sunderland, though.
Because Steinberg does make the point that the Black Cats are in a strong position to get closer to their valuation for Rigg as he will have two years left on his contract.