Aberdeen have launched an ambitious bid to bring former United States international striker Christian Ramirez to Pittodrie.
The 30-year-old, who plays his club football for Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo, has seven months remaining on his contract with the US club, but is keen on a new challenge in Scottish football.
Ramirez, who has made two appearances for the US national team, is on a reported $1 million (£708,000) a year salary in the MLS, but is willing to take a pay cut to move to Pittodrie.
However, the Dons face challenges in completing a move, with any deal hinging on an agreement being reached with the MLS and subject to a work permit being granted.
The work permit in particular could be a significant obstacle with Ramirez’s two appearances for his country having happened more than two years ago, but Aberdeen are ready to make their case for the player making a significant contribution in Scottish football.
Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass’s former club Atlanta United had an offer for Ramirez rejected in March last year after their star striker Josef Martinez suffered an ACL injury in the season opener against Nashville SC.
Glass’ assistant at Pittodrie, Allan Russell, has also worked with the US-born Ramirez, who is of Colombian descent.
Prior to relocating his business, Superior Striker, to Britain, Russell counted Ramirez, who has scored 96 goals in 225 appearances in his career, as one of his clients.
Ramirez played for Los Angeles-based Orange County Blue Star in the fourth tier of US football from 2010 to 2012, while Russell played for Orange County Blues from 2012 to 2014.
In an interview in 2019, Russell discussed the formative years of his business which led to him being employed as specialist striker coach with the English national team before stepping down earlier this month.
The Dons coach said: “As I got into the latter stages of my career, I just started to focus on the development of the programme, of the business which we grew in the US and then brought back to the UK.
“I’d been coaching since 2010 in the States, but really started to focus on professional strikers in 2014.
“In 2013/14, it began to grow and the programme was getting a good reaction. Players that I worked with three years ago, five years ago, have gone on to have good careers, such as Christian Ramirez, who just scored for the US last week. He was playing in the lower leagues in America.”