Newcastle now have a big interest in ‘amazing’ Sunderland player, they scouted him on Saturday

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United officials have returned to the Stadium Of Light after January’s Tyne-Wear derby win in the FA Cup.

Eddie Howe’s side won 3-0 that day, with an Alexander Isak brace giving Newcastle United bragging rights over Sunderland in what was the first derby since 2016. It was also the Magpies’ first win in the fixture since 2011.

Since that day, neither Newcastle or Sunderland have had much to shout about. The Magpies are struggling in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup, while the Black Cats sacked Michael Beale and are closer to the Championship relegation zone that the playoffs.

They played out a 0-0 draw with QPR on Saturday, in a game that involved Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden. There was also a Newcastle United official in the crowd, with senior scout Mick Tait there to look at a potential summer target.

Newcastle interested in signing Chris Rigg

According to the Chronicle, Mick Tait was at the Stadium Of Light on Saturday afternoon on a scouting mission, where Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg in action.

The Chronicle state that Newcastle United have a big interest in the 16-year-old midfielder, who came off the bench for Mike Dodds’ side. Rigg came on in the 58th minute for his 13th Championship appearance of the season.

The report adds that Rigg could be available for a small fee, as he is yet to sign a professional contract with Sunderland.

The teenager has been linked with Newcastle a lot in the past, and the fact that he comes from a Toon-supporting family could give the Magpies an advantage in this transfer pursuit. It was recently claimed that Newcastle are actually the favourites to sign him at the moment.

Of course, Sunderland would love to keep Rigg, but he is attracting a lot of interest given his clear potential. Tony Mowbray gave him his debut at the age of 15-years-old, and previously described the youngster as ‘amazing‘.

Now he is starting to get more and more senior experience in red and white, although Newcastle United would love to see him in black and white soon.