Neil Mellor has issued a come and get me invitation to Albion.

The on-loan Sheffield Wednesday striker wants to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing for the Seagulls next season.

Mellor, whose dad Ian starred for Albion alongside Peter Ward in the Seventies, is still under contract with Championship strugglers Preston but his future is up in the air.

He has scored 17 goals in 37 games for Wednesday this season and is poised to spearhead their attack at Withdean on Saturday.

Mellor revealed to The Argus: “I have still got one more year left on my contract at Preston. I said at the end of this season I would re-evaluate. Obviously I was hoping to be there or thereabouts for promotion but it hasn’t worked out like that.

“If I finish on 20 goals plus it will put me in a stronger position for a move next season. I am pretty open minded about where to play and where the next move is.

“Brighton are a big club. They’ve got the move to a new stadium and Championship football for them next season is pretty much guaranteed. That would definitely be an interesting option.”

Mellor was re-signed for Wednesday by Alan Irvine, his former manager at Preston, but the 28-year-old has fallen out of favour since Gary Megson took charge.

He said: “It was going very well for me up until Christmas time. I had 12 goals by then but then I was in and out of the team a little bit. The new manager came in and I’ve not really had a look-in.

“I started at the weekend (against Colchester) and scored a couple of goals, which was nice but it has been a frustrating second half of the season.

Mellor, who also scored against Tranmere in midweek, added: “I need to play games. I am the sort of striker that, given 90 minutes, if I get a chance then more often than not I will put it away. I have still got 17 goals but I should have more than that.”