Former Aberdeen defender Brian Irvine believes the sky is the limit for Dons full back Calvin Ramsay as he nears a move to Liverpool.
The six-time European champions are in talks with the Dons about a transfer for the 18-year-old right back.
A deal is expected between the two clubs which will make Ramsay the most expensive Scottish teenager in Scottish football history.
Ryan Gauld set the record at £3million when he joined Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon at the age of 18 from Dundee United in 2014.
Irvine believes Ramsay will only improve if he makes the stunning move to Anfield.
He said: “It’s an amazing opportunity for the player and he will develop further. The sky’s the limit for the lad.
“Ramsay is a very good attacking player and with experience and age he will become an even better player.
“The attacking qualities he has is clearly what has attracted Liverpool in much the same way as those qualities led to Andy Robertson moving there.
“He has so much going for him just now and it is the huge potential he has which has Liverpool interested in him in the first place.”
Reds a tough proposition to turn down
Irvine knows the lure of joining a team competing for major honours is hard to resist after finding himself in the same situation when the Dons came calling for his services in 1985 when was at Falkirk.
He said: “When I think of when I signed for Aberdeen they were the top team in Scotland and were European challengers.
“It was slightly different in that I had an emotional attachment and feel for Aberdeen but from a status point of view Liverpool are challengers for the top prizes in football.
“Any young player wants to play for the best and Liverpool come into that category.
“If Ramsay does end up there he’ll improve again simply due to the calibre of his surroundings whether he makes it to the first team or not.
“He will have looked at Robertson going from starting his career at Queen’s Park to winning trophies with Liverpool and thought there is nothing stopping him from doing the same.”
Dons right to play hardball over transfer fee
Irvine is not surprised to see his old club refusing to accept the first offer which comes their way for the teenager.
Having rejected interest from Italy for Ramsay in January, Irvine expects the Dons to stand firm until their valuation is met.
He said: “Aberdeen are holding out for the maximum they can get and they will have looked at other players who have moved for big fees and have their own valuation of their player.
“The finances at a club like Liverpool are at a different level from our level of football.
“I’m old school in that I still regard a £1million transfer as a big deal so it’s staggering to read of Liverpool making bids of £80million for Darwin Nunez from Benfica.
“The sums being talked about for Ramsay is small change for Premier League clubs in England due to the money in their league, TV deals and European competition.
“For an old dinosaur like myself it’s a fortune but not for a modern top level club like Liverpool.”
Irvine added: “But if Ramsay does go to Liverpool the fee is a fantastic pat on the back to everyone at the club who has played a part in his development and emergence in the first team.
“Any big sale is a reward for the investment put into all the players at the academy.
“It is a fine line between being a £4million player and breaking into the first team. The same investment and work goes into both players.
“When you have a big success like this one or Scott McKenna when he joined Nottingham Forest it serves as recognition of a job well done on the people behind the scenes and the system put in place.”
Aberdeen ready to wait for their valuation to be met for Liverpool transfer target Calvin Ramsay
