Aberdeen boss prepared to be patient in pursuit of Sunderland midfielder Dylan McGeouch

Having signed former Derby County midfielder Craig Bryson earlier this summer, McInnes is keen to add one more option this summer and McGeouch is top of his list.

McGeouch’s future has been in doubt all summer after a frustrating first season on Wearside.

But on Wednesday Jack Ross insisted that he wanted to keep the Scot, and said that he believed the midfielder himself still wanted to prove himself in the English leagues.

Sunderland’s central midfield options remain under consideration, with Ross also keen on a deal for Walsall captain George Dobson.

McInnes had intially hoped to seal the deal in time for the imminent Europa League qualifiers with Finnish side RoPS, but speaking to Sky Sports, he suggested that time was not an issue.

“Without going into the specifics, I’m keen to sign a central midfield player,” he said, when asked directly about McGeouch.

“It would be no surprise that we’re asking about a lot of central midfielders at this moment in time. Some are more available than others.

“We would rather wait for the right midfielder, the one that we feel can give us what we want not just for this season but for the years ahead.

These two games are important, in an ideal world we’d like to have finished or work by now with another signing but it’s important we get the right signing.”

Speaking yesterday, Ross said: “Dylan had a frustrating season last season in terms of wanting to come and be a success, play more regularly.

“Him and I had dialogue through the course of the season and dialogue again through the close season period. I didn’t want to lose him.

“I still feel as if he’s got something to offer here but equally you need that to work on both sides,” he added.

“But as a player he wants to try and prove he can be a success here, so it’s a pretty straightforward one then. At the moment that’s how the situation is, I didn’t want him to leave and he wants to prove himself here.”