Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin is aiming to offer Connor Barron a new deal at the Dons as their latest academy product's stellar breakthrough attracts interest from Celtic and others.
The midfielder spent the first half of the season on loan at League Two club Kelty Hearts, making a big impact under then-boss Kevin Thomson, who's side eventually went on to win the fourth tier. Barron though headed back to Pittodrie where Stephen Glass handed him his senior opportunity before being replaced as boss by Goodwin in February.
Now the Irishman has been impressed by his young midfielder and knows that interest was always going to arise. Premiership champions Celtic are one of the clubs said to be monitoring the teenager who is now a Scotland youth international. Bologna and Sassuolo are tracking him too and the Pittodrie club want to offer him a pay bump to match his current contributions.
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Already they have lost Calvin Ramsay after owner Dave Cormack was presented an £8million offer from Premier League giants Liverpool that couldn't be refused.
Offering an increase in pay is what the Aberdeen boss - who's signed Liam Scales on loan from the Hoops - hopes puts interested parties off a pursuit.
Goodwin said: “We’ve got a number of good young players in our squad whose contracts we want to extend. Connor Barron is one of them.
"He had a terrific second half of the season, one of the nominees for player of the year. He's the type of player you want to be building teams around because of his age.
"Based on what he did in the second half of the campaign there is always going to be speculation. Connor is a terrific young talent, he's still got a hell of a lot of development to do. I think Aberdeen, at the moment, is the best place for him to further his development.
“We'd love to get Connor on a better contract, he deserves to be rewarded, he deserves a better financial contract. At the same time we need to protect our assets as well. We want Connor to stay.
“He's got two years left (on his current deal) so there is no pressure on anybody at the moment but we just want Connor to know how important we think he is and how much we want him around.”
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