Sunderland AFC: Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham transfer fears raised as January beckons | OneFootball

It is absolutely vital that Sunderland keep hold of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg in January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland are enjoying an exceptional 2024/25 campaign so far.

The Black Cats appointed Frenchman, Regis Le Bris, as manager in the summer and it has turned out to be a stroke of genius as they find themselves in the race for promotion.

Unfortunately, their incredible form has taken a hit as of late, and they now sit 4th in the table, five points off 1st place.

Le Bris will need to turn some of his side's draws into wins if he wants promotion to the Premier League come the end of the season.

His squad is very young but full of talent, which will lead to concerns about losing key players.

Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg are two young stars in particular who have really shone this season, but will have Sunderland fans worried that it is only a matter of time until they earn big moves away from the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland fan shares a big fear ahead of January

The January transfer window is right around the corner, so FLW asked their Black Cats fan pundit, Andrew Flynn, what his biggest fear going into the window was, and the two key names were brought up.

"I think the only fear I have coming into the January transfer window is obviously all of the speculation and rumours regarding Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham. Clubs all over Europe are reportedly looking at them, so it is all about whether we can manage to keep hold of those two players."

"Let's talk about Chris Rigg. For a 17-year-old player to perform the way that he has done this season, to have so much composure on the ball when in possession, he's just an absolute joy to watch."

"The same with Jobe Bellingham. I feel Jobe, this season, has come on leaps and bounds. He's really learned from last season. That was his first full season in the Championship playing for Sunderland, and this season, for me, his performance levels have massively improved."

"His willingness to break up play, his recovery runs, the way he drives through midfield, he can hit a shot from 25/30 yards out like he did against Derby."

"It's all about 'can we manage to keep hold of those two exciting, talented players?' I am confident we can keep hold of them but there is always a fear that looms around, not just my head, but all of the fans' heads."

"We have to keep hold of those two players to give ourselves the best possible chance of promotion this season."

Interest in Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg

There has been talk for a little while now regarding a possible move to Borussia Dortmund for Bellingham, but now it seems that any potential deal with the German giants is likely to be delayed.

BILD reported that Sunderland value the midfielder at around €20 million, but Dortmund do not currently have those funds for January, so may have to wait until the summer to get a deal done, which can only be good news for the Black Cats.

As for Chris Rigg, the race for his signature involves some of the biggest clubs in England and Europe. It was revealed that the 17-year-old rejected offers from Manchester United and Newcastle in the summer, but many other clubs remain interested as well as those two giants.

German clubs, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, have been linked, along with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.