Sunderland have rejected the bid for Paddy McNair after Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion submitted a bid of £2 million. The Northern Ireland star played very well when they faced World Cup bound Panama City in a recent warm up game.
The talented player has struggled so much with injuries at Sunderland since joining in 2016. His knees and groin have been concerns as he returned to regular action. He seemed to have shaken off the fitness concerns as he started finding the net and playing regularly.
Brighton sough to use the fitness issues to drive down his market value but Sunderland felt offended. The League One side is expected to sell off a lot of their stars to free their budget and realign with the current demands of the lower leagues. After Chris Coleman left the side following the new ownership in place, new coach Jack Ross has a tough job on his hands after back to back relegation hit them hard.
Sunderland might decide to keep the player with the hope that he performs well so they can get a better deal in the transfer market. It is doubtful that Brighton will considerably increase their offer for Sunderland to sell him this summer.
For Brighton, they have signed Nigerian Leon Balogun on a free transfer. They are also seeking to land another defender Liam Moore from Reading. Also, a Romanian attacker Florin Andone is reported to be on his way to American Express Community Stadium.