Liverpool are leading the race for Sunderland wonderkid Chris Rigg.
According to the Daily Star , the Reds are ahead of Everton and Newcastle United in landing a player expected to be one of England's top future prospects, potentially replicating the move from the Stadium of Light to Anfield that Jordan Henderson made back in 2011.
Rigg, who is just 15-years-old, has been watched by several scouts during some impressive performances for Sunderland under-21s. He has also been drafted into first-team training on occasion by Tony Mowbray. The midfielder is captain of England's under-16s and has featured for the under-17s.
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Touted as the best young talent to come out of Sunderland's Academy of Light since Henderson - who joined Liverpool as a 20-year-old and has since made 465 appearances for the club - Rigg is now on the radar of England's top clubs and the Black Cats are becoming increasingly resigned to losing their star.
The Reds are stated as current frontrunners, their success in integrating academy talents such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak into the first-team picture proof of a pathway for young stars. They would be expected to pay around £2.5million for Rigg in the summer, should he decide against signing a senior contract with Sunderland.
Everton and the Black Cats' big rivals Newcastle are said to remain keen on battling Liverpool for the teenager, however, and Frank Lampard's side have reportedly been monitoring Rigg for most of the past year after he featured for the Sunderland's under-18's at just 14-years-old.
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