Brighton interested in £2m Fleetwood wonderkid Paddy Lane before transfer window ends after winning player of year award

BRIGHTON are keen on Fleetwood wonderkid Paddy Lane.

The Cods are braced for bids for winger Lane, 21, who won the EFL League One Young Player of the Season award last term.

That gong ended a magical first season in professional football, having signed from non-league side Hyde United in 2021.

Lane’s eye-catching performances, which included scoring five goals and grabbing eight assists in the league, also led to his first three caps for Northern Ireland.

He made his international debut in March against Hungary, and then started both Nations League fixtures against Greece and Cyprus in June.

Several clubs, including Premier League side Albion, are believed to be very interested in the Halifax-born starlet.

Fleetwood tied Lane down to a new contract in December until 2024 and value the player at around £2million.

Should a move to the top flight arise, it would be a fairytale story for Lane, who won the club’s player of the year award last season, given his situation just 18 months ago.

Back then he was stacking shelves in his local supermarket on a part-time basis to boost his income while playing in the seventh tier with Hyde.

Discussing his turnaround, Lane said in an interview this summer: “I don’t think I’ll ever really process what happened last year.

FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS

"It was a year that you dream of. It was crazy.”

Fleetwood have a history of selling players higher up the food chain.

Jamie Vardy is the most obvious example, but in recent years James Hill has moved to Bournemouth, Jay Matete to Sunderland and Billy Crellin to Everton.