Barry Robson sets out Duk exit stance as Aberdeen boss updates on pursuit of new arrivals

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson is adamant star striker Duk will remain at the club beyond the end of the transfer window amid reported interest from the English Championship.

Aberdeen striker Duk is a reported transfer target for clubs in the English Championship. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Reports down south claim that Leeds United and Southampton are eyeing up a move for the 23-year-old Cape Verde international who scored 18 goals in a blistering first season at Pittodrie following his switch from Benfica last summer.

Duk is under contract at the Dons until 2025 so would command a healthy seven-figure fee, but Robson is not entertaining the prospect of losing another key player following the recent sales of Ylber Ramadani and Ross McCrorie to Lecce and Bristol City respectively.

"You can get one phonecall, 'oh somebody is linked with him' and then it goes in the press and we all believe it, don't we? Well, I don't," Robson said. "I have seen it all before. Duk is Aberdeen's player, he is a brilliant player, we love him here and he is going to be here."

Aberdeen have already signed nine players this summer and Robson hopes to welcome more new arrivals as the club prepares to compete in European group stage football with a Conference League place guaranteed should they lose their Europa League play-off against BK Hacken or Zalgiris Vilnius later this month.

"We are working away, we are beavering away in the background trying to get things done,” the Dons manager added. “We are trying to build a football team for the fans, I don't want to be sitting with eight loans again.

"I think loans can get done a bit quicker rather than when you are actually trying to do [permanent] deals. So it might take a bit longer. We need to make sure that if it is not the right people and not the right players then we won't do it and we will wait for the next window to come."