Aberdeen’s record of selling players to Europe’s top leagues will be used to help lure signing targets in January, says chief executive Alan Burrows.
In recent seasons, Aberdeen players have secured big-money transfers to the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A.
Striker Bojan Miovski was sold to Spanish top flight club Girona this summer in a deal that could be worth up to £9million to the Dons.
Scotland international Lewis Ferguson moved to Italian Serie A club Bologna in a deal worth £3m including add-ons in summer 2022.
Ferguson has been a sensation in Italy and won the prestigious Bulgarelli Number 8 Award, given to the best midfielder in the Italian top-flight for a campaign.
AC Milan have been linked with a move for Ferguson in January, who only recently signed a new Bologna deal until 2028.
In 2022, Aberdeen sold right-back Calvin Ramsay to Liverpool for a fee of £4.5m that could be worth up to £8m with future add-ons.
Last summer Albanian international midfielder Ylber Ramadani switched from Pittodrie to Italian top-flight Lecce in a £1.2m move.
Aberdeen’s board are ready to back manager Jimmy Thelin’s bid to strengthen during the January transfer window.
Burrows insists the track record of developing players to a level where they can seal a move to major Euro leagues will be a bargaining tool with transfer targets.
And the Dons also have concrete proof Pittodrie is being monitored by big guns in Europe’s top leagues.
Burrows said: “We have got demonstrable evidence that we are selling players into the top five leagues.
“If you’re a player in Europe and want a launchpad to play at a very good level, European level, with a club that has a track record of selling on to the big five, then Aberdeen is a very good place to do it.
“That’s clearly a message we are putting out there – but it’s also a message that agents and people around the game can see themselves.
“You’ve got Bojan Miovski going to Girona, Ylber Ramadani to Lecce and Lewis Ferguson to Bologna.
“Then there is also Calvin Ramsay to Liverpool and Scott McKenna went to Nottingham Forest.”
Former Aberdeen stars playing in the Champions League
Players sold by Aberdeen in recent years have also gone on to play in the Champions League.
Ferguson played a key role in Bologna qualifying for the Champions League.
However, he missed their early fixtures in the tournament this season due to injury.
Now fit, the midfielder has played in recent Champions League matches against Lille (1-0 win) and Monaco (1-0 loss).
Miovski played in Champions League fixtures against PSV Eindhoven (4-0 loss) and Sturm Graz (1-0 loss).
Scotland international defender McKenna also faced then holders Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16 last season.
McKenna started both legs for FC Copenhagen (Denmark) against Manchester City in a 6-2 aggregate loss while on loan from Forest.
The defender signed for Spanish top-flight Las Palmas in the summer and played all 90 minutes of a 2-1 win against giants Barcelona on November 30.
He also played the entirety of a 1-1 draw with Champions League holders Real Madrid earlier this season.
McKenna was sold to then-Championship Nottingham Forest for £3m in 2020.
He earned promotion to the English top-flight with Forest and the Dons also landed an additional £1.75m in add-ons from the deal.
Ramadani has also been a major hit in Serie A with Lecce and was on the radar of giants Inter Milan.
Burrows said: “In all walks of life, anything you sell has to have credibility.
“And we’ve got the credibility in terms of those player sales.”
Aberdeen’s player trading model
Burrows says the success of former players in Europe’s top leagues illustrates the success of the club’s model, where Aberdeen source exciting talent, develop them and then sell for a major profit.
Miovski was signed for £535,000 from Hungarian club MTK Budapest in summer 2022, then sold two years for a deal that could be worth £9m with add-ons.
During two seasons at Pittodrie, Miovski scored 44 goals.
Burrows says the trading model also relies on new signings making a significant impact in the first team.
He said: “Any one (transfer) we do further enhances the reputation we’ve got.
“However, the key focus is getting these good players in, developing them and then having them make an impact at Aberdeen.
“Miovski was here for two years and he made a significant impact.
“We’ve got a player trading model that requires us to sell at the back end.
“But we also want to be successful here at Aberdeen.
“We want to be competing at the right end of the table and to win trophies.
“And to do that, the players that we bring in to develop and sell, first and foremost, need to have an impact on the first team.”
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