Bristol City target Ross McCrorie insists his entire focus is on Aberdeen’s bid to finish third in the Premiership.
Championship club Bristol City are closing in on a £2 million deal for the Dons’ vice-captain.
The Robins have been locked in talks with Aberdeen and are understood to be close to agreeing a fee for the 25-year-old, who is contracted until summer 2026.
That would see Asthon Gate Stadium outfit sign McCrorie when the summer transfer window opens.
Wing-back McCrorie captained Aberdeen to a 2-0 victory against Rangers on Sunday to extend the club’s winning streak to seven games.
When asked about Bristol City, the midfielder said: “I am just focusing on Aberdeen.
“I still have three years left on my contract.
“I just signed a new one last year.
“Days like Sunday are terrific, but I don’t take too much notice of interest. If we are doing well at a club like Aberdeen then we will have plenty of boys who would attract interest.
“It goes to show how well we have been doing.”
Bristol watch McCrorie skipper Dons to victory against Rangers
It is understood Bristol City’s technical director Brian Tinnion was at Pittodrie to watch McCrorie against Rangers.
If terms are agreed between Aberdeen and Bristol, then McCrorie will be given permission to open talks.
McCrorie’s former club Rangers would be entitled to a percentage of any fee due to the terms of his transfer from the Ibrox club to Aberdeen.
The former Scotland Under-21s captain initially arrived at Pittodrie on a season-long loan from Rangers in summer 2020.
There was an initial agreement that McCrorie would sign a permanent Dons contract at at the end of the loan spell.
However, that was fast-tracked when the Dons signed him permanently for a six-figure fee in January 2021 on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
He later signed a one year contract extension last February tying him to the Dons until summer 2026.
When asked if it would take something special for him to exit Pittodrie, McCrorie said: “I am not talking about me leaving.
“I am an Aberdeen player and proud to be an Aberdeen player.
“It was a real honour on days like Sunday.
“I look at the team and it is excellent.
“It is the best team we have had since I have been at Aberdeen.
“I am enjoying every minute and I’m loving it right here just now.”
‘If I was the chairman I would just give him the job’
Under the guidance of manager Barry Robson, the Dons are in the midst of the club’s longest running streak since 2015.
Aberdeen have also secured six clean sheets in the run of seven victories.
The Dons were in the bottom six when Robson was appointed interim manager following the sacking of Jim Goodwin on January 28.
Robson has masterminded an ascent to third in the Premiership table, where the Reds hold a five-point advantage over fourth-placed Hearts.
Aberdeen’s board have only confirmed Robson will manage the club until the end of the campaign.
But McCrorie reckons chairman Dave Cormack should give him the job now.
He says Robson has been a “breath of fresh air” and under his guidance the players have improved to the point they are “in a different world” in terms of their physical conditioning.
McCrorie said: “If I was the chairman I would just give him the job if I was being honest.
“That is up to the chairman.
“I have known the manager for a couple of years when he was under Derek McInnes.
“He has been a breath of fresh air, tweaked the system and made us more aggressive.
“We have been doing little things and combinations and it is really paying off.
“It is a different aspect.
“Physically, we are in a different world and bang at it.”
Significance of beating Rangers after two tough defeats this term
McCrorie skippered Aberdeen to a first win against Rangers at Pittodrie since September 2016.
The win maintains the Dons strong position to finish third in the Premiership.
A third-placed finish could land Aberdeen a £3.2m cash prize and European group football until December – if Celtic or Rangers win the Scottish Cup.
McCrorie said: “It is a big result.
“We had a couple of close games against Rangers this season, the Hampden one (2-1 extra-time League Cup semi-final loss in January) and the other when they scored two late goals (3-2 Premiership defeat in December).
“We owed them one at some point this season and got that on Sunday with the win.
“To a man we were great, the boys were outstanding.
“The gaffer gave us a job to do collectively and individually.
“All the boys stuck at it and were terrific.
“Physically, I thought we were immense and you could see we were still running at the end.
“We were attacking with pace and the gaffer is big on the transition.
“I think we are on top of that and that showed against Rangers.”
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