AMB Sports & Entertainment, the owners of Atlanta United, will invest £2 million into Aberdeen after a partnership between the two clubs was announced on Sunday night.
The investment is included in a £5 million package secured by Dave Cormack, who will replace Stewart Milne as Aberdeen chairman following the club's AGM next month.
In a statement on the club's website, Aberdeen revealed that the £2 million will provide working capital for day-to-day operations and announced that Darren Eales, president of Atlanta United, will join the Pittodrie board.
The partnership with the MLS outfit will allow both clubs to share scouting resources and learn from each other's matchday experiences.
READ MORE: Aberdeen FC announce new strategic partnership with Atlanta United
“The new investment and this partnership are very much welcomed and justify our decision to implement the succession plans at this juncture," Milne said. "Dave [Ciormack] has identified and brought together a group of investors who are, not just providing money but also, fresh-thinking and learning to the club.
"I’d like to thank Dave for taking on the chairman’s role with the passion and commitment required to realise our vision and rise to the increasing challenges facing Scottish football.”
Future Aberdeen chairman Cormack added: “This collaboration between our clubs will deliver economies of scale by aligning both clubs on key football and business operation best practice.
"It will include shared agreement on worldwide player identification, assessment, recruitment and development. For example, we will be able to tap into their impressive scouting network across South America and, in return, we can assist them with identifying and assessing players in Europe.”
Eales, who headed Atlanta's project to develop the club's $60 million training facility, was confident that the partnership with Aberdeen would be mutually beneficial.
“We’re thrilled about this opportunity to partner with Aberdeen, a successful club with a long and proud history," he said.
“The partnership is a natural fit, with synergies both on and off the pitch. We share the same commitment to our fans, our core values, community engagement and competitive results.
“We’re excited about what we can, together, achieve through a shared approach to football and commercial operations. This will be centred around mutual respect for AFC’s heritage and long footballing history and Atlanta’s innovation and progressive strategy.
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"Together, we believe we can make an impact on supporting and driving both clubs and the wider game on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes, meanwhile, revealed that he was left impressed with the US club's training ground and stadium, and was optimistic about the future benefits that he believes the arrangement will bring.
He said: “I’ve visited Atlanta United and witnessed first-hand their impressive facilities and approach to matters both on and off the pitch. I am really encouraged by their desire to work with us and look forward to forging greater relations with our colleagues in the MLS.
“Having got to know the people from the Atlanta, in particular Darren Eales and Carlos Bocanegra, I’m confident that we’ll be working with good people who share similar views on how this relationship can help both clubs going forward.
“We want to continue to be a competitive force in Scottish football and will now be in a position to further develop our player recruitment strategies, tapping into markets which otherwise may have been hard to navigate in terms of player identification.
“Similarly, we are fortunate to have a youth academy with a mature strategy and have benefitted from a number of young players progressing through the ranks to feature for the first team. Our experience in this field, developing and nurturing young talent, will be key to this relationship as we share best practice.”
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