Stephen Glass believes Bologna target Calvin Ramsay will still be an Aberdeen player at the end of the transfer window.
Bologna appear keen to sign 18-year-old Ramsay before the transfer window closes on Monday, with reports suggesting the Serie A club have offered £4.8million for the Scotland Under-21 international.
“We’re still at the stage where I have not been told anything is imminent,” Glass said ahead of Aberdeen’s cinch Premiership home game with St Johnstone.
“Whether there are or aren’t any bids in, it’s not close enough that it’s going to affect our team on Saturday.
“I think it (transfer speculation) has definitely affected him a touch. Anyone can see that.
“But we’ll get to Monday night and I think he’ll still be with us, and he’ll be ready to tackle the second part of the season.
“I’m not surprised it’s affected him a little bit. He’s only 18 and it’s the first time he’s been through this.
“But he’ll be ready to perform for us on Saturday, hopefully again Tuesday night, and hopefully for the rest of the season. He’ll be fine.”
Bologna’s reported bid for Ramsay has come with Premier League clubs in England also said to be weighing up offers for the talented right-back.
Glass says he has contingency plans to replace Ramsay should it get to the stage where “negotiations are happening or might be happening”.
And Glass admits that both he and players like Lewis Ferguson, who was reportedly the subject of a Watford bid last May, have spoken to Ramsay about handling the situation.
He said: “The levels we’re talking about and how quick it’s come to him, it was important in this process early on that I let him know what it’s going to be like.
“He’s handled it reasonably well, even if it has affected him. It was important that someone like Lewis has helped him to provide an example of dealing with it.
“Calvin has done that and any time you’re a footballer the one time of the week that no one can affect you is when you step on the pitch.
“Top professionals go on the pitch and they perform. That’s what our players do and that’s what I’m expecting to see on Saturday.”
Aberdeen have been boosted in attempting to bounce back from Tuesday’s 1-0 league defeat at St Mirren.
Holland Under-19 winger Vicente Besuijen has had his work permit granted and is line for a Pittodrie debut against the bottom-placed Saints.
Jonny Hayes and Jack McKenzie could also return to the Dons squad after injury.
Glass, whose sixth-placed side are now four points off a top-four spot, said: “Feathers are ruffled by the performance the other night.
“If we choose to go similar or change, I think you’ll definitely see a different performance.
“We need to bounce back because what happened wasn’t acceptable by any means.
“The players know that, we know that, and we have got opportunity to put that right and get three points again.”
