Brighton and Hove Albion will be looking to continue their fairytale run in the English top flight as they prepare for another season of football. Many of their critics were not giving them a chance to survive in the Premier League but they stuck to their guns and went on to finish a respectable 15th place in the Premier League table. They will be looking to improve their squad for the upcoming season to ensure their survival and they have been linked with a move for former Manchester United and current Sunderland defender Paddy McNair.
According to reports, the Seagulls had previously made a bid for the 23-year-old but Sunderland rejected it. The bid was rumoured to be £2m. Even a second improved bid of £3.5m for the youngster has been rejected as Sunderland want to sell him for upwards of £4m.
Sunderland have been demoted to League One status and they will be looking to bounce back after two successive relegations. McNair moved from United to the Stadium of Light in 2016. However, he missed close to a year of football with them after an ACL injury. In the previous campaign, he made 16 appearances in all competitions and even managed to get on the score sheet five times.
McNair is a versatile player as he can play in the middle of the park as well as play in the role of a centre-back. He has also filled in the right-back spot at Manchester United when he played under Louis Van Gaal who was instrumental in giving him the opportunities in the senior team.
He struggled to get much game time at Old Trafford and as a result, he was sold to Sunderland. He was expected to be an important player for the Black Cats but a lengthy injury ruined his start at the Tyneside club.
Brighton will be looking to add depth to their squad and bring more competition for places. The partnership of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy have done well at the back but Chris Hughton can make use of McNair’s versatility on the football pitch as he can get the job done in various positions.
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Such is the market in today’s day and age that we can call Sunderland demanding somewhere in excess of £4m for the defender cum midfielder, justifiable. We can probably see Brighton make another bid for him after their latest bid of £3.5m was rejected and for someone who is just 23, that will certainly not be a bad move from the Seagulls.
