Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has sent a clear warning to Newcastle and Watford-linked Calvin Ramsay’s suitors, asserting that any deal must be done sooner rather than later [Scottish Sun].
18-year-old Ramsay has only made 25 senior appearances since breaking into the Dons first team last season.
However, that’s only two fewer than compatriot Nathan Patterson made for Rangers before signing for Everton for £16m, and Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has described Ramsay as ‘elite’.
Update given on Newcastle and Watford target
He’s been linked with a number of clubs recently and Gazzetta dello Sport claimed earlier this week that Serie A side Bologna were set to beat off Premier League competition to land him.
The Scottish Sun seem to think the race is still very much alive, though, with Newcastle and Watford amongst the clubs mentioned in their latest update.
Glass and Aberdeen are open to selling Ramsay for the right price, but the Dons boss is adamant that if the teenager is to leave, they must be given sufficient time to replace him.
“We definitely don’t want things happening late in the window,” he said [Scottish Sun]. “Even with all the speculation, I think if anything happens, it would happen fairly early. We’ve got Rangers on the 18th and I think it would be ideal if things were done before that, if anything is going to happen.”
“That might be pie in the sky, but I don’t think we will be put under the gun on the last day. I don’t think the chairman and the board will allow that.
“That’s an important thing, as management, that once we get closer to the end of the window, we know what we’ve got until the summer.”
It was previously reported that Watford had been the first club to make contact regarding Ramsay, but while Glass went on to confirm that his phone has been ringing, he says no formal bids have landed yet.
Ramsay suitors told to move quickly
The message is clear, then, for those interested in snapping up Ramsay this month.
Don’t leave it too late because the Dons may stop listening to offers at the back end of the window.
Given that Newcastle have now confirmed the signing of Kieran Trippier, it’s unlikely that they will push the boat out for Ramsay in the same window.
The likes of Manchester United and Liverpool have also been credited with interest [The Herald], but there may be a clearer pathway to regular first-team football at Watford, if the Hornets are prepared to stump up enough cash at a suitable time.
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