Adam Rooney looks set to leave Aberdeen to join non-league Salford City today and is set for a wage hike.
It is understood that the Dons striker is moving closer to leaving Pittodrie to switch to the English National League side – and has been offered a deal worth £4,000 a week.
Reports surfaced at the weekend linking the Irishman with Salford, while the 30-year-old missed the Reds’ abandoned friendly with Cove Rangers at the Balmoral Stadium on Sunday.
The speculation has continued to increase and sources indicated to the Evening Express yesterday that Rooney, who joined Aberdeen in January 2014, is set to move to Moor Lane.
Rooney still has two years left on his contract with the Dons so Salford will also have to pay a transfer fee.
Salford are ambitious and they are aiming to gain promotion to the Football League for the first time under manager Graham Alexander.
The former Scotland international Alexander is trying to recruit players who can help them get promoted again this term.
The Ammies are part-owned by Manchester United Class of 92 legends Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.
The Old Trafford greats got involved in the running of the club in the summer of 2014.
Since then Salford have risen from the Northern Premier League to the National League, which is just one tier below the Football League.
The club became a full-time professional outfit last summer and under the guidance of co-managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson won the National League North last season.
Morley and Johnson have since left the club with Alexander, who won 40 caps for Scotland, being appointed manager.
On Monday Salford signed midfielder Danny Lloyd from League One Peterborough United.
Rooney joined Aberdeen from Oldham Athletic in January 2014.
The former Inverness Caley Thistle man has been the Dons main goalscorer since joining, netting 88 goals.
Following his move to the Granite City, Rooney helped the Reds win their first piece of silverware for 19 years in March 2014 as they lifted the League Cup in front of over 40,000 Dons fans at Celtic Park.
The Irishman scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out that took place after the 0-0 draw with Inverness.
Rooney has also helped the Reds finish second in the Scottish Premiership for the last four seasons.
And Rooney became the first Aberdeen striker since club record scorer and Evening Express columnist Joe Harper in the late 1970s to net 20 goals or more in three consecutive seasons, achieving the feat in the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
However, last season Rooney only netted 11 goals and was limited to 22 starts.
The arrival of Stevie May in a £400,000 move from Preston North End last summer meant Rooney was not always first choice.
Sam Cosgrove, who joined from Carlisle in January, also featured towards the end of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen face West Bromwich Albion on Friday night at Pittodrie in their final friendly ahead of facing Burnley in the Europa League.
The Dons face the Clarets a week tomorrow in the second qualifying round first leg in the Granite City.
It remains to be seen whether new signing Stephen Gleeson will be fit for the Battle of Britain clash after injurying his knee on July 8 in the friendly with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
Mark Reynolds limped off with a knee problem early on in Sunday’s abandoned friendly with Cove Rangers, Michael Devlin, Niall McGinn and Frank Ross sat that game out with niggles, it remains to be seen if they will feature against West Brom.
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