Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne has promised the club will continue to invest in the playing budget, despite the costs of funding a new training complex and stadium.
The Dons hope to be in their new training facility at Kingsford in time for the start of next season, while around £40million still needs to be found to finance the building of the 20,000-seat stadium in the second phase of the project.
But Milne, pictured, insists Derek McInnes’s transfer budget will be protected to ensure the club can continue to remain competitive.
He said: “We set out with the aim of becoming a top 100 European club five or six years ago and this (the Kingsford development) is a fundamental building block to help us get there. But everyone appreciates the driving force for everything at the club is what happens on the pitch.
“It is fantastic that we have had five consecutive years in Europe and hopefully this is number six. I think everyone is quietly confident we will get that by getting at least third place to secure Europe for another year.
“That is an absolute requirement for the club. We have invested a lot in the team and most areas throughout the club.
“Success on the field is fundamental and we need to make sure that we continue to build on the football budget. At the end of the day, that is what delivers the real success that the fans want to see.”
Milne believes the new stadium and training complex near Westhill will be a game-changer for the club and make the Dons a more attractive proposition to potential players.
He added: “It is going to be a major milestone for the club to finally get there.
“I know Derek has been impatient over the last few years. We all understand that. There have been promises of a training facility here for a long time and we have had a few false dawns. To see the progress that has been made has been absolutely fantastic.”
Milne, meanwhile, was pleased with the club’s start to their post-split fixtures with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Kilmarnock.
The Dons travel to Ibrox to face Rangers on Sunday and Milne added: “Killie was a tough game and a different test for the team on the back of a disappointing semi-final. But they proved there is a lot of courage and guts with a really committed display over the 90 minutes and I think we got our just rewards.”