Elvis knows it's not just about the up front fee as he looks to maximise Dundee's earning potential from any Graham move.
09:05, 28 May 2026
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Luke Graham trains with Scotland
Steven Pressley has warned Rangers and all other circling parties that they will need to pay top dollar to get Luke Graham out of Dundee this summer.
The Light Blues have been tracking the centre-back since January and Record Sportbroke the story earlier this week that they will firm things up with a bid.
Dens boss Pressley has confirmed there is interest in Graham from English clubs as well as overseas.
The likes of Stoke City, Norwich City and Portsmouth are keen, along with Austrian side Sturm Graz, Schalke in Germany, and Portuguese outfit Famalicao.
Pressley said: “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 in him. But we’re in no rush to sell.
“I understand if we get to the valuation we will sell him, I know that.”
Dundee knocked back what would have been a club record £1.5million sale when Portsmouth slapped in an offer in January.
Dundee defender Luke Graham
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Dundee defender Luke Graham(Image: Pete Summers/Shutterstock)
Pressley knows from the past that it is not only about the fee but the add-ons in these deals.
Carlisle United are in for a major lift if his former player Jarrad Branthwaite moves on from Everton. And Pressley thinks that Graham has the potential to join him in the English Premier League.
The ex-Ibrox stopper – who was in charge of the Cumbrians when Branthwaite made his breakthrough in 2019 – said: “The big thing is, for clubs like us to function properly there needs to be really good outcomes in terms of the fee.
“But it’s not just that, there’s the sell-on as well because what you can receive is very important these days.
“I brought Jarrad through at Carlisle and when he was supposed to go to Man United, it was going to generate about £7m for them at the time.
“So that has to be a consideration. Of course you want to demand as high a fee as possible but it’s very beneficial to look beyond that.
“I think Luke has the capabilities to be a centre-back in the English Premier League down the line.
“But, saying all that, if Luke is still here with us in August I’d be very happy.
“He will be very difficult to replace. We can’t sign a player of Luke’s value, so will have to develop someone.
“In January we didn’t want to sell Luke because I’d seen before what can happen. We wanted to reinforce in that window rather than take the risk. I’d been through that at Coventry when we sold two strikers in the winter window and results fell off a cliff.
“So I’d experienced that in the past, so didn’t want to let Luke go.”
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Luke Graham of Scotland during a training session
Graham is training with Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad this week, to get experience ahead of the World Cup warm-ups.
Pressley knows he will go on to become a main player for Scotland.
He added: “I spoke to Luke about going away to train with the national team.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for him. If he impresses, like I’m sure he will, then you never know what could happen.
“Scotland could have an injury or two before the start of the World Cup.
“Steve has been monitoring him and he will play a big part in the future for the national team, I’m sure of that.
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“We are going to give him some extra time off because he’s had a demanding season, he’s been away with the Scotland Under-21s a lot and won’t finish up until this weekend.
“So he deserves a longer break and the plan is he will likely return a week after everyone else.”