ALBION are still hot on the trail of Sunderland transfer target Paddy McNair, who wants a return to the Premier League.

Talks continue with the club relegated to League One, although the Seagulls have yet to formally make an improved offer for the 23-year-old Northern Ireland international midfielder. Sunderland rejected Albion’s opening bid of £2 million.

McNair is keen to resolve his future once he returns from international duty.

He makes his final appearance of the season for Northern Ireland against Costa Rica in San Jose tomorrow after starring for Michael O’Neill’s side in the 0-0 draw in Panama.

McNair said: “If I can get back to the Premier League, that would be great, but I just want to concentrate on these Northern Ireland games and look at that afterwards.”

New owner Stewart Donald, will not let McNair or his saleable team-mates go on the cheap following Sunderland’s second successive relegation.

He told BBC Radio Newcastle: “There are quite a lot of players who are on astronomical wages for League One, and some of them think that that means it will be very easy for them to disappear from Sunderland and go and earn that money somewhere else.

“Well the club has paid money for those players, and it isn’t as simple as that. There is a balancing act here.

“The football club can afford to keep these players. The reality is that if they don’t want to be here and we don’t want them, then we need to get a sensible compromise but that means everybody will need to be fair.

“There is no way that the football club, having been relegated, should bear the brunt of things.

“Currently we have lots of offers for players but the offers are too low.”

Meanwhile, Shane Duffy plays his last game of the season in the Republic of Ireland’s friendly against the US in Dublin this evening (8pm).

It will be the 45th appearance of a busy campaign for club and country for the Albion central defender.

Fellow defender John O’Shea, 37, makes his last appearance for the Republic.

Duffy’s new Albion team-mate Leon Balogun is a likely starter for Nigeria against England at Wembley (5.15pm).