ABERDEEN have tied up the summer signing of Inverness midfielder Greg Tansey, but manager Derek McInnes is resigned to losing Niall McGinn.

Tansey has signed a pre-contract with the Dons but Northern Ireland internationalist McGinn is likely to be on his way to England with Bolton and Sheffield United linked with a move.

The 29-year-old is in his fifth season at Pittodrie and looks set to leave when his current deal expires.

“It looks like it, unfortunately,” McInnes admitted. 

“His agent has indicated that there may be Championship interest, which I am not too surprised about.

“And it’s difficult for us to compete with Championship clubs.

“Niall has been very respectful, he accepts that our offer was very good, and he has thought long and hard.”

The Dons thought they had signed Tansey late in 2016 when their offer met a release clause in the player’s contract, but Inverness did not agree to the deal and claimed Tansey wanted to stay.

Now Aberdeen will get the 28-year-old for free on a three-year deal when his contract expires in the summer.

“He’s a player I have long admired,” McInnes said. “We tried to get him, as you know.

“He’s an accomplished footballer. He is a good age, he brings that level of experience. 

“There is more to come from Greg and hopefully he can do that in at Aberdeen.”

The Dons face Dundee at Dens Park tonight in a match which could decide the title. Celtic will be crowned champions if Aberdeen lose.

But McInnes said: “It won’t get mentioned. 

“We all agree Celtic are going to win the league, it’s just a matter of when.

“We’ve got plenty to look forward to. We have nine league games left and each one becomes more important”