Financial services firm Aberdeen Asset Management has expressed an interest in helping to establish and sponsor a third Scottish Pro12 rugby union team in its home town.
Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors are currently the only professional teams in Scotland, with the future of rugby union in the country coming under increased scrutiny after a record 51-3 defeat to Wales rounded off a disappointing Six Nations campaign for the national team.
Aberdeen Asset Management is the title sponsor of the Scottish Open golf tournament and previously sponsored Edinburgh. The company’s chief executive Martin Gilbert told BBC Scotland he believes the north east of Scotland would welcome a major rugby union team.
"I'd love to see a rugby team there of the calibre of Edinburgh or Glasgow, a professional team because I think, in rugby, Scotland still needs more professional teams." he said. "I think it would be supported up there because you'd get everywhere north of Dundee supportive of that sort of strategy.
"It would be great and we would love to be involved in something like that. I think we do need to do something pretty radical. We've sponsored Edinburgh and we'd love to have a professional set-up in the north east."