Albion manager Mark McGhee revealed today that he cannot afford to keep Michel Kuipers and Ben Roberts.

They have been fighting for the No. 1 spot since the start of the season but the duel could end with a transfer for Kuipers to Hull.

McGhee said: "Possibly from a salary point of view we can afford to pay for one good keeper and then we have got to look for a young keeper or a keeper on loan that is subsidised to some degree.

"We can't really afford to have two first team goalkeepers on first team wages."

McGhee expects Kuipers' future to be resolved before Saturday's game at Notts County.

Hull have not yet put a bid in for the Dutchman and McGhee has vowed not to let him go on the cheap.

"I have not seen the best of Michel, there is no doubt about that," McGhee said. "He's had very good days here and is therefore not a goalkeeper we should be too quick to let go.

"Certainly I think the supporters would want justification of why we would let a player like that go, therefore we have got to make sure it is for the right reasons.

"I think it's very difficult to think of letting him go for nothing and so far Hull haven't actually made us an offer.

"We are not going to be unreasonable. We are a Second Division club but I think we're entitled to a fee."

Meanwhile, McGhee has ruled out an immediate move for out-of-favour centre half Stuart Nethercott from his former club Millwall.

McGhee said: "Stuart would be a great asset to us. Whether I'm going to bring him here or not remains to be seen.

"He is different from Guy Butters but not dissimilar in a lot of ways to Danny Cullip and we have also got Adam El-Abd to look at closely before I make a decision.

"I think we are reasonably well served in that area. If we can get the centre halves back to what they were then we probably won't need someone like Stuart."

McGhee's priority remains a striker.

Torquay's David Graham is a player he rates but the former Glasgow Rangers and Dunfermline marksman is out of the Seagulls' price range.

Albion midfielder Dean Hammond is staying on loan to Third Division Leyton Orient for a second month but David Lee is back from his spell at Thurrock.

He would have been suspended for the non-league club's FA Cup replay at Luton last night.