Aberdeen have completed the signing of Slovenian under-21 international striker Ester Sokler.
The Dons agreed an undisclosed fee with NK Radomlje of the 24-year-old’s homeland for the forward’s services – with reports in Slovenia putting Sokler’s price tag between £250,000 and £350,000.
He has penned a three-year deal and will become a Reds player officially once the UK immigration process is complete.
Sokler received a governing body endorsement from the Scottish FA, paving the way for his work permit, on Thursday.
‘We hope he will make as smooth a transition as Rama, Bojan and Duk’
The frontman started his career with NK Krsko before a spell at NK Brezice 1919.
He joined NK Radomlje last summer and netted 10 times in 30 games in 2022-23 – including an end-of-season scoring spree – helping the side to a seventh-place finish in the PrvaLiga.
In addition to Aberdeen, his performances for Radomlje also saw two sides from Austria register their interest in Sokler, according to the Slovenian media, while clubs from Italy, Russia, Portugal and Denmark were also said to be keeping tabs on him.
Dons boss Barry Robson said: “Ester is a striker with all the key attributes needed to be a success here and he further strengthens our attacking options for next season.
“He fits the profile of striker we were searching for, someone who can continue to develop in the correct environment and is another good example of our overall recruitment strategy, looking further afield for players who we believe can make a positive impact here.
“We hope he will make as smooth a transition as Rama (Ylber Ramandani), Bojan (Miovski) and Duk have since they joined the club, and we look forward to working with Ester.”
Sokler becomes the third addition of Aberdeen’s summer rebuild, as Robson builds a squad to tackle both domestic action and European group stage football next season.
His arrival follows the stunning capture of Liverpool playmaker Leighton Clarkson on a four-year deal on Thursday and Livingston right-back Nicky Devlin before him.
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