Sunderland have signed Republic of Ireland defender Paul McShane from West Brom in an initial £1.5million deal, according to the midlands club.

The fee could ultimately rise to £2.5million for the 21-year-old, who joined the Baggies from Manchester United last summer and made 42 appearances, scoring three times.

Three quarters of that extra £1million is based on appearances plus a further £250,000 if the Black Cats retain their top-flight status this season or regain it during McShane's stay in the north-east.

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray said: "I want to thank Paul for his contribution last season. He's a terrific lad with a terrific attitude to football.

"But Paul intimated to me in very strong terms that his ambitions lay away from this football club.

"I've said it many times before that I want players here who want to play for the shirt so that we can move the club forward together."

McShane is Roy Keane's sixth signing of the summer after recruiting Greg Halford, Russell Anderson, Michael Chopra, Kieran Richardson and Dickson Etuhu, but he has missed out on several high-profile signings.

Keane withdrew his offer for Preston's highly-rated England Under-21 striker David Nugent after waiting in vain for an answer from the player, and Wigan full-back Leighton Baines has declined the offer of a big-money move to the Stadium of Light.

Keane insists he respects the decisions of those players who have resisted his overtures having faced similar choices during his own illustrious career.

Keane said: "You have to respect the players' decisions.

"With some players, you get vibes and you think, 'We know this is going to be a hard one to pull off'.

"It was like me last year. I left (Manchester) United and I was never going to go to another team but Celtic.

"I spoke to other clubs and other clubs offered me two, three times the money within half an hour of my house, and I took a lot less money to travel three hours."

Keane, who dismissed speculation linking him with Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith, former Manchester United team-mate Alan Smith and Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer, confirmed Baines' decision not to make the move to Wearside, which was announced by Wigan yesterday.

The 22-year-old is reportedly wanted by Everton, and Keane said: "It's disappointing, of course, but you can't win them all. I spoke to Leighton last week and then he rang me the other night.

"He had his reasons and he rang me himself, he didn't get his agent to ring. I haven't got a problem with that, I have to say."