Everton are interested in Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg but face competition from Birmingham City and others for his signature, per reports.
The Toffees are set to be taken over by The Friedkin Group before the January transfer window and they could look to make a couple of additions to strengthen the squad.
Rigg, 17, is considered to be one of the most exciting youngsters in the Championship and has nailed down a spot in the Black Cats’ first team, making seven Championship appearances so far this term.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Everton hold a ‘long-term interest’ in Rigg, while Manchester United are also known to be admirers of his.
But Birmingham are reportedly considering a bold move for the Sunderland star and could be prepared to offer around £10m to try and get a deal over the line.
The Blues destroyed the League One transfer record when they signed Jay Stansfield from Fulham for over £15m in the summer and Nixon’s report suggests that they could make another big-money signing.
Birmingham are currently top of the League One table and look likely to secure automatic promotion this season, but they might find it difficult to sign Rigg amid competition from Premier League clubs.
European heavyweights keeping tabs on Rigg
There is certainly no shortage of interest in Rigg from top clubs, making a move to St Andrews’ extremely unlikely.
As we have previously reported, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are all considering moves for Rigg in 2025.
That also makes things difficult for Everton who have endured a difficult start to the Premier League season. But there are better times ahead for the Toffees, with them moving into a spectacular new stadium next season and new billionaire owners set to take charge.
Reports suggest that Everton’s scouts have been very impressed from what they’ve seen of Rigg this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to launch a bid for him.
With so many other clubs in the mix, however, there could be a transfer battle for the Sunderland star in the coming months.
Sean Dyche is still under threat at Everton
Meanwhile, Everton are keen to keep hold of their best players and are working hard to tie Dominic Calvert-Lewin down to a new contract.
The striker’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season and he has so far refused all offers of an extension.
However, TEAMtalk understands that Calvert-Lewin maintains a positive relationship with the club and isn’t actively trying to force an exit, contrary to reports.
Everton are keen to tie Calvert-Lewin down to fresh terms before the January transfer window and have offered him a significant pay rise to stay at the club. Newcastle and clubs around Europe are keeping tabs on his situation though.
Toffees boss Sean Dyche has also come under fire recently and sources suggest that The Friedkin Group have held preliminary discussions with Maurizio Sarri about replacing him.
Everton continue to back Dyche for now and their win against Crystal Palace on Saturday has bought the manager some time.
TFG won’t hesitate to sack him if results don’t improve by the time they take over, with Sarri, along with Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate all linked with the Everton job.