Mark McGhee has insisted there was no deadline on Aberdeen's contract negotiations with Charlie Mulgrew.

Dons boss McGhee revealed this week he was in talks with the highly-rated full-back over a new deal.

The 26-year-old's agent has warned the club to make Mulgrew an offer he could not refuse amid suggestions the player wanted his future resolved by the end of this week.

But McGhee said: "There's no time limit. The ball is in Charlie and the agent's court and there's nothing we can do about that apart from making what we believe to be a really fantastic offer."

McGhee will be hoping the negotiations do not distract dead-ball specialist Mulgrew during Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League trip to Hibernian.

Much has been made of Hibs' attacking riches but while McGhee admits he envies their spending power, he claims he would not swap any of his young stars for their Easter Road counterparts.

He said: "They've invested when the rest of us have been unable to do that. They've invested in (Derek) Riordan and (Anthony) Stokes and we're all jealous of that.

"It's paying rewards for them because they're in third position.

"But I would still be reticent to say that I would swap (Peter) Pawlett for any one of them or (Fraser) Fyvie for any one of them. They just need a little bit more time."

McGhee also admits it may be impossible to keep the likes of Riordan, Stokes and Abdessalam Benjelloun quiet.

"We suspect that, playing as well as they are, they may score," he said.

"But what we've got to do is make sure that Pawlett, (Michael) Paton, (Lee) Miller, (Sone) Aluko and Fyvie - going in the other direction - are just as big a threat."

Hibs are bang in form but McGhee does not see them as any more daunting than Aberdeen's last two opponents.

"I don't think it's any tougher than Dundee United at home or Hearts at home," he said.

"I think they're all good teams. They're all teams we'll find it difficult to beat.

"Hibs are on a high at the moment but we're looking forward to it.

"We have no fear of going there, I think that we feel that one point from six doesn't quite do us justice."

Scoring goals will help improve that run and McGhee refused to add to the pressure on last season's top scorer Miller, who has notched just once this term.

"Strikers score off percentages and it's not usually 100%," he said. "At the moment, he's probably running at 50% in terms of real chances he's been presented with.

"We need to be getting him six to eight chances in a game and we know he'll get one or two."

McGhee also had his say on claims the Old Firm could be split this term, with Hibs looking best placed to do so.

"The last two seasons the distance between first and third has been 23 points and 19 points," he said.

"Celtic and Rangers are getting a lot of stick at the moment but Hibs went to Ibrox last week and couldn't beat them.

"If things continue to deteriorate financially for Rangers then it could give somebody maybe a chance to get that second spot."