Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows has warned potential suitors they will fight to keep their star players at Pittodrie.

Duk has been attracting interest from clubs in England and abroad after scoring 18 goals for the club in his first season in Scottish football.

His former club Benfica stand to receive a substantial percentage of any fee the Dons receive for the striker – but Burrows is determined to hang on to the forward.

He said: “If anyone wants to take any of our good players then all they need to know that they will face a club who will fight their corner really hard.

“Like all good players, I will say that about every player you ask me about, they are going to court interest from other clubs.

“We are not immune to that.

“We are in a very good position as a club to be as robust as we possibly can when it comes to our players.

“If anyone is going to leave here and they are under contract, then we are in a good place and we won’t be easy to deal with in that sense.

“It is not in our interests to sell and we are not looking to sell, but clearly there will be interest if our players continue to do well.

“Sometimes you become victims of your own success with things like that.”

Burrows insists Benfica have no input in any transfer negotiations should the Dons receive a bid for Duk, but refused to discuss a sell-on clause.

In a recent interview, Duk claimed Benfica were entitled to 50% of any fee the Dons received for him.

But Burrows said: “You won’t expect me to talk about specifics. What I would say is Duk is in the first (year) of a three-year contract at Aberdeen.

“We have been delighted with the work he has done and the fans have really taken to him.”

Decision on B team involvement in proposed new league due this week

Meanwhile, the Dons will decide this week whether they want to be part of a proposed new fifth tier of Scottish football.

Proposals for the introduction of a Conference league below League Two in time for the 2024-25 season are being formed with a vote expected at the SFA annual meeting.

Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, and the Dons or Hibernian’s B teams could join the league along with clubs from the Highland and Lowland Leagues.

The proposals have provoked strong reactions from those in favour and those against – but Burrows insists the Dons are still considering their options.

He said: “It has been reported in a way to suggest Aberdeen are part of a fait accompli in this where we are one of four clubs who have devised this plan.

“That’s not strictly accurate.

“The three other clubs who have got colts or B teams in the Lowland League at the moment were influential in the SFA and SPFL discussion.

Aberdeen’s Alan Burrows:’There’s a lot to weigh up’

“We were introduced to it as late as me arriving here, so I’ve attended two meetings of that group with the SFA.

“We’ve got the full criteria required to be there and we’ve done a costing exercise. Barry Robson is the perfect guy to take advice from due to his developmental role of the last five years.

“We’re weighing up all the aspects and speaking to the stakeholders and we will be looking to make a decision by the end of this week.

“But we’re not one of the teams who have charged in.

“Like our colleagues at Hibernian, there’s a lot to weigh up not only from a financial point of view, but from a development point of view as well.”

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