ABERDEEN have booted out Rangers’ opening £525,000 offer for Connor Barron.
Pittodrie chief executive Alan Burrows insists the Dons are ready to face Gers at a tribunal.
Midfielder Barron turned down a new contract to pen a four-year Ibrox deal.
Now both clubs have to reach an agreement over the Aberdeen youth academy graduate or the SPFL will set the fee. Burrows, who welcomed new boss Jimmy Thelin to Pittodrie, hopes they can avoid that by coming to a settlement.
He said: “If there isn’t an agreement between the clubs then we’re fully prepared to go to a tribunal.
“It’s our job to get the best value for any player and we will try to do that with Connor Barron.
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“Ideally we would like to avoid situations where you have to go to tribunals, but if we have to, we will.
“We are still trying to negotiate with Rangers.
“The formal process, before it goes to a tribunal, is that there has to be an attempt by both parties to try to find a solution.
“One has to put an offer forward and you either agree or disagree.
“You then put a counter-offer forward and you either agree or disagree with that.
“If the two parties can’t come to an arrangement, it goes to a tribunal.
“Where we are with that is at the final stages of that and I’m hoping we can come to an amicable agreement. That lets everyone move on.
“If that doesn’t happen then it will have to be a tribunal and we’ll see how that runs.
“Is it in everyone’s interests for it to be sorted before that? I’d say so. But the difficulty is that both parties might have a different view of the valuation.
“We have a value of what we believe Connor is worth moving in the domestic market.
“There’s a framework set down by Fifa if it’s international, but domestically it’s different. Aberdeen have been involved in one before with Lewis Ferguson so there’s experience of it.”
Burrows also admits Aberdeen are willing to sell striker Duk in this window — but only at the right price.
The Cape Verde hitman has made it clear he wants to depart, but he won’t be allowed to move in a cut-price deal.
Burrows said: “Aberdeen operates a player trading model and our fans are well versed in that.
“The way it works is you bring players in, play them and then move them on.
“Everyone understands it and we’ve sold a lot of players over the years. Duk will be no different.
“He’s in the final year of his deal. As far as we’re concerned he’s an Aberdeen player and will be here for pre-season.
“We are willing to see the player-trading model through to its conclusion, but it has to be at the right value for the club.”
Aberdeen will be due 50 per cent of any fee to Benfica, but Burrows is confident that won’t sink any deal.
He added: “I’d normally be hesitant to talk about individual contracts, but this has been discussed so publicly.
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“There are considerations in the contract. It’s not that complicated because all deals have it to some extent.
“As it stands, we’ve not had any offers for Duk in this window and he’s due back here soon.”
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