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Brighton keen on Northern Ireland international Paddy Lane - report
Brighton and Hove Albion are keen on signing Fleetwood Town wonderkid Paddy Lane before the transfer window closes, according to The Sun.
The 21-year-old won last season’s League One Young Player of the Year after lighting up Highbury following a move from non-league side Hyde United the previous summer.
His performances also saw him earn three caps for Northern Ireland after scoring five goals and picking up eight assists for the Cod Army last term.
Fleetwood have Lane tied down to a contract for two more years but he could be prised away from them for just £2million this summer if Brighton want to pay up.
The Seagulls are not the only Premier League side in the race though for the man who was stocking shelves in a supermarket before his move to the League One outfit from the seventh tier.
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Bringing in a player from Fleetwood Town might not hit the headlines that some other transfer will this summer but that isn’t a bad thing for Graham Potter and Brighton.
Jamie Vardy left Highbury for Leicester City to little fanfare and he has gone on to be a sensational striker in the Premier League and Lane could become a similar success story.
Potter has to start building a core of players homegrown in the UK that can offer the substance required for the stars of shores further afar can come in and perform from the off and Lane could be the kind of player to do just that.
Registration rules in the Premier League also mean that plenty of English and British talent is needed in every team’s squad to qualify and the Seagulls could do with covering their backs with this deal.
He won’t go straight into the side but it would be difficult for many to come in and start immediately considering Brighton have just beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time ever.
In other Brighton news, the Seagulls are also looking north of the border for potential wonderkids and have found themselves drawn to a Tannadice ace.