ABERDEEN chairman Dave Cormack insists he would only back a new 14-team Premiership if it was to run for an initial two years - not five.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has written to clubs in the top two tiers asking if they would support adding two more teams to the elite league until at least 2025 and, if not, how there concerns could be allayed.

Clubs are being asked to submit their responses by 5pm today, with the two bottom divisions expected to give feedback by Tuesday.

The move comes after Hearts owner Ann Budge put forward proposals for a 14-14-14 overhaul over two years in a bid to avoid the relegation that her team, Partick and Stranraer have suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Cormack insists he is not keen on the new approach tabled by Doncaster.

He said: “We just heard about it ourselves on Wednesday. 

“I think the SPFL are still meeting with the different leagues. 

“I think what we have to do is just wait and see what comes out. We have been very clear at Aberdeen from day one that we are very emphatic with Hearts, Partick and Stranraer- and also actually with Kelty and Brora.

“We at Aberdeen would like to see a pyramid open all the way up and down, two teams being relegated from League Two each year. That would promote competition.

“There is 45 different variations of what people want, the reality is that we’re at the beginning of June now and we’re supposed to be playing games in eight weeks and we’re still asking about what the league might look like. 

“From our stand point, we would have been up for a 14-team league on a temporary basis for two years but certainty not for five years.”

Cormack, meanwhile, has expressed his admiration for Jonny Hayes and hinted that he would love to have the winger back at Pittodrie.

Hayes was a fans’ favourite with the Dons for five seasons before moving to Celtic in 2017.

The Irishman is a free agent following his release at Parkhead but Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has conceded he is not in a position to offer deals while the health crisis continues to wreak havoc with his plans.

Cormack, speaking to the BBC, added: “Well personally I love Jonny.

“He’s a wonderful guy and he won’t thank me for saying this but he’s very charitable to some of the people struggling in Aberdeen and he’s said nothing about it.

"We just have to wait and see how we go through the next couple of months and certainly, I haven’t sat down with Derek at all to talk through where we might be with the squad but clearly Jonny that I’m a fan of.

“I love Jonny and the fans do too but we’ll just have to wait and see."