Albion are closing in on out-of-contract Shrewsbury striker Lee Steele.

Chairman Dick Knight opened talks with a player and his agent yesterday.

"Negotitions are at an advanced stage for a proven front player," Knight said. "I can't say any more, because they are ongoing."

Knight would not confirm the player is Steele, although he admitted: "We targeted him some weeks ago, but we were led to believe he was going to Oxford. He is in the running."

The 5ft 7ins Steele, Shrewsbury's top scorer in each of the last three seasons, is available on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.

Albion face competition for his signature from Third Division rivals Plymouth.

Meanwhile, Knight has confirmed that Albion had a £100,000 bid rejected for former loan signing Bobby Zamora from Bristol Rovers and promoted Northampton's Steven Howard, as revealed in yesterday's night final edition of the Argus.

"We did make a substantial six-figure bid for Bobby Zamora, but BristolRovers just don't want to sell him," Knight said. "He was one of our prime targets. I made an offer for him some weeks ago, then left it and went back to them.

"It's disappointing, because Bobby has real potential and would have been hugely popular with the fans.

"We were also willing to pay a similar sum for another striker this week, but again his club wouldn't sell. I can confirm it was Steven Howard.

"That kind of money is more than Albion have been prepared to spend on a player for years and shows we are as serious about strengthening the club's promotion chances as our new stadium plans at Falmer. They are inextricably linked."

Teenager Zamora plundered six goals in six games in a loan spell with the Seagulls towards the end of last season. He is likely to get more first team opportunities at Rovers, with speculation mounting that they are about to sell top marksman Jason Roberts.

Rovers boss Ian Holloway revealed: "Brighton offered £60,000 and then came back with a hundred. They can offer as much as they like, because Bobby is not for sale.

"You don't get anywhere by selling your best young players. He is one for the future, a kid we think has got an awful lot of talent even though he's not really had much of a chance so far."

Northampton manager Kevin Wilson wants to hold onto the 6ft 2ins Howard as back-up for new signings Marco Gabbiadini and Jamie Forrester.

Albion have offered three-month contracts to experienced pair Keith McPherson and Warren Aspinall after they reported back for pre-season training with the rest of the squad yesterday.

Manager Micky Adams invited them to find other clubs during the summer and McPherson has been in talks with non-League Slough.