BLACKBURN Rovers will bank £4m for Shane Duffy after the centre-back completed his move to Championship rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 24-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Seagulls after they had a club record offer accepted.

Rovers boss Owen Coyle wanted to keep Duffy at Ewood Park.

But the club’s owners Venky’s accepted a fee of £4m plus adds on after the Republic of Ireland international made it clear he had no intention of staying at the club.

Duffy was in the final year of his Ewood Park contract and, after seeing Brighton’s initial bids for his services turned down, he rejected the club’s offer of a new deal.

Rovers were willing to hand the big defender a 25 per cent wage increase.

But Duffy, who represented his country at Euro 2016, admits he was always interested in signing for the Seagulls.

He said: “It’s dragged on for a while now, it was a rollercoaster of a summer for me, but I’m delighted it’s done and I’m here. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I was trying to keep my head on Blackburn at the time but it was difficult for me when I knew I had a chance of coming here.

“You’ve only got to look at how they played last season, how hard they were to play against, the manager, the facilities, so the only way they are going is up.

“The aim is obviously promotion and from what I’ve seen so far it’s an outstanding club.”

Duffy made 69 appearances for Rovers after joining from Everton in 2014.

He also scored seven times, including last season’s goal of the season for his stunning strike at Brentford, and the winner in Tuesday’s EFL Cup victory over Crewe Alexandra.

That proved to be Duffy’s final outing in a Rovers shirt.

It was also his first since he scored two own goals – his second and third in two games – and was sent off in the league defeat at Cardiff City.

Coyle, who took over the Rovers reins in June, said: “It was a situation I inherited with Shane having a year to go on his contract.

“There had been a number of offers which were turned down. Then an offer the owners found acceptable was accepted last night.

“I don’t think – and I’ve said this to Shane – he’s played at the level he’s capable of whether that is because of outside influences or whatever it is.

“The owners have decided as a club they will take that transfer fee given he’s only got a year of his contract to go.

“We made him a new contract offer. We actually increased his previous contract by 25 per cent. So we certainly showed willing.

“His representative made it known he would not be signing a new contract. That makes it difficult as a club because, do you risk not getting a transfer fee after that year or do you take a transfer fee, which is a decent sum of money? You are stuck between a rock and a hard place.”