Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has announced that any club looking to sign highly rated defender Luke Graham during the upcoming summer transfer window must agree to a substantial sell-on clause.
The 22-year-old center-back has drawn extensive transfer interest from over 40 clubs across Europe and the United States following a breakthrough campaign in Scotland.
Rangers are preparing a formal bid, while English Championship clubs like Portsmouth, Derby County, and Stoke City actively monitor the player.
Dundee previously rejected a club-record £1.5 million bid from Portsmouth in January, and the defender's valuation has since doubled to an estimated £2 million after helping his team secure an eighth-place finish in the Scottish Premiership.
Pressley discussed the widespread transfer attention surrounding the academy graduate, who accumulated 41 appearances this past season and recently earned a call-up to Steve Clarke's senior Scotland national team training camp ahead of the World Cup.
"There's a lot of interest in Luke from here, England and abroad. It's difficult to see him here next season with the amount of clubs interested.
But we're in no rush to sell. I understand if we get to the valuation we will sell, I know that.
The big thing is, for clubs like us to function properly, there needs to be good outcomes in terms of the fee," Pressley told The Scottish Sun.
The Dundee manager emphasized that financial planning for clubs of their stature requires looking beyond immediate upfront windfalls to guarantee long-term stability.
"It's not just the fee, there's the sell-on as well because what you can receive is very important these days," he added.
To illustrate his point, the manager recalled his previous experience developing elite young talent at Carlisle United before they moved on to higher divisions.
"I brought Jarrad Branthwaite through at Carlisle and when he was supposed to go to Manchester United, it was going to generate about £7m for them at the time, so that has to be a consideration," noted Pressley.
Despite the inevitability of a summer departure, the head coach maintained that the club remains in a strong position as Graham enters the final 12 months of his contract.
"Of course you want to demand as high a fee as possible, but it's beneficial to look beyond that.
Luke has the capabilities to be a centre-back in the English Premier League down the line.
But if he is still here in August, I'd be very happy," stated Pressley.
Meanwhile, Graham expressed his current mindset during a recent media interview while participating in international training duties.
"I was looking forward to getting my feet up. That has changed a little bit (with this call-up).
I will get some time off. I will wind down and enjoy some family time and enjoy my summer.
If something happens then it happens. If it doesn't then it doesn't.
That's the way it works," Graham told the Daily Record.
The official summer transfer window opens on June 15 and is scheduled to close at 11:00 PM on September 1.
