Crystal Palace's transfer stance on Sunderland wonderkid Chris Rigg revealed

Former Sunderland assistant manager Mick Brown reckons Crystal Palace are plotting a move to sign Sunderland sensation Chris Rigg.

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown, who also worked in the scouting department at the likes of Manchester United and West Ham, said that scouts have been in attendance at Black Cats’ games this season. Brown told the publication that Palace will look to sign the best young talents from the Championship after their previous successes.

Now, the Eagles are said to have turned their attention to Sunderland’s 17-year-old gem who has established himself as a key player in Regis Le Bris’ side. Rigg has featured in 14 of the Black Cats’ 15 league games so far this season and started in all but one of those, while he was awarded the Young Player of the Month award for September.

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Palace, meanwhile, are looking to add quality young players to their squad with a view to becoming first-team regulars and eventually selling for a large profit in the future – a policy Sunderland have adopted in the past few seasons..

However, the possibility of a deal appears to hinge on whether Sunderland achieve promotion this season. Palace are not the only club to have shown an interest in the midfielder, as Manchester United scouts have been in attendance to watch him at the Stadium of Light “nearly every week” according to Brown.

Brown, who worked for United for more than a decade, has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment. He says multiple clubs across Europe are keeping tabs on Rigg.

“Yes, he’s one Palace are interested in,” he said. “From what I’m told, they’ve had scouts present at a number of his games this year.

“They’re not the only ones, though. As is always the case for a player his age, there are clubs across Europe all watching him closely.

“But Sunderland are top of the league at the moment, they won’t let him go in January and they’ll want to keep him if they manage to go up. If they don’t get promoted, though, Palace will be in the race to sign him.

“They have a good record bringing players in from the Championship as we’ve seen with the likes of Eze and Wharton, which is always a good sign. Players will see that there’s a clear pathway there and that often plays a part in making the move.“

Meanwhile, Luke O’Nien visited Sunderland Royal Hospital to unveil the newly-revamped neonatal ward. The unit invited the O’Nien to lead the celebrations as his children were born at the hospital’s Maternity Department, which neighbours neo-natal.

He was given a tour of the unit before opening the accommodation, which has been set up in the nearby Trust Headquarters. While others in the region also have rooms for parents on their unit, as Sunderland’s does, the four en suite rooms make it the first neonatal service in the region to offer additional space dedicated for their use on site.

O’Nien said: “It was great to be able to visit the unit, meet the staff and see first-hand how babies who are premature or need extra help get the care they need. I know being a new parent is a really daunting time, so having those extra concerns must be a stressful time for them.

"The team told me all about how the charity funds have helped make it a better place for them to work and for the families they support. The staff are doing a great job and the parents who are there with their little ones really are seeing the benefit of the new spaces, as well as the accommodation which must make a big difference when they need to stay nearby.”