Duk bid of €2.5million 'rejected' as Aberdeen FC set transfer asking price with English clubs poised to beat Young Boys offer

Aberdeen could face a battle to retain striker Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes this winter after reportedly rejecting an opening transfer bid from BSC Young Boys.

Reports from Europe swirled on Thursday evening, claiming the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement following the Swiss giants having an initial €2.5million proposal turned down by the Aberdeen board. And they state the Dons are expecting a fee of more than €3m if they are to part ways with the Cape Verde international. The report also claims English Championship clubs are prepared to go higher.

However, the Press & Journal state Aberdeen have yet to receive any concrete contact from the Bern-based outfit. Duk scored three eye-catching goals during Aberdeen’s recent Europa Conference League group stage campaign and has cemented himself as a fan favourite in north-east Scotland since joining from Benfica B 18 months ago. Manager Barry Robson has already had to worry about holding onto fellow strike sensation Bojan Miovski during the January window, with the likes of Southampton and Celtic ‘interested’.

Duk, 23, was left out of his country’s latest African Cup of Nations Squad and that could influence his decision to make a switch. His former employers Benfica are also believed to be entitled to 50 per cent of any prospective transfer fee due to a special contract clause.

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