Aberdeen chief Duncan Fraser says their loss of Jack Grimmer to Fulham is a blow to Scottish football.

The midfielder was the youngest Aberdeen first-team player when he made his debut against Rangers in April 2010, aged just 16 years, two months and 13 days old.

Fraser said: "There is a bigger issue here for the SPL and Scottish football in that we are beginning to see young Scottish talent moving south before they have fully developed with the teams they signed for as youngsters.

"The economic climate means nurturing home talent is the only way forward for all clubs in this country.

"However, if, after investing huge sums bringing youngsters through the ranks, top-flight English clubs can simply sign players for relatively small training compensation levels given the television income in England, and before the players have even had the opportunity to make an impact at top team level, then we have real challenges ahead of us.

"It is an issue we will seek to raise with the SPL and the SFA to see what further steps can be taken to safeguard our clubs' interests."