MARK McGhee could play a significant part in helping Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock achieve his most pressing target this summer – reducing the size of the Pilgrims' first-team squad.

The Aberdeen boss has already declared his desire to take Argyle's Jim Paterson back to the Scottish Premier League. Now McGhee is after the Pilgrims' record signing as well.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City manager wants to borrow Steve MacLean for the duration of the 2009-10 season. The Scottish striker came to Home Park from Cardiff City for £500,000 – the biggest fee the Coca-Cola Championship club have ever paid – in January 2008, but he has made only 26 starting appearances and has scored a mere five goals for Argyle since then.

MacLean was always likely to be in line for a move away from Plymouth this summer, with Sturrock being under pressure to alleviate last term's budget over-spend, as long as there was any interest in his services. The Dons have come up with that interest.

McGhee, who intends to deploy a 4-3-3 formation in what will be his first season in charge at Pittodrie, told the Aberdeen Evening Express: "MacLean is a goal-getter, who holds the ball up well, and I believe he would fit in well to 4-3-3.

"I will be speaking to an agent about Paterson – and MacLean. He [MacLean] is still under contract, but I think he is surplus down there.

"When I was speaking to Paul Sturrock, he mentioned MacLean," McGhee added. "He is a player who is not bad, and he has scored a lot of goals in England, especially at Scunthorpe and Sheffield Wednesday. I will speak to the agent and see what we can get done."

MacLean, who hails from Peebles, began his career with Scottish Premier League big-hitters Rangers, but did not taste senior success until he moved south of the border. He scored 25 goals for Scunthorpe United in the 2003-04 season, and then hit 35 goals in three seasons with Sheffield Wednesday, prior to his brief stay with Cardiff. He will be 27 next month, and he has two years left on his Argyle contract.

The Dons are also understood to want to borrow left-flank player Paterson, who arrived at Argyle from Motherwell for a fee of £250,000 in January last year, for the whole of the coming campaign. Sturrock told the media on Monday that he was waiting to hear back from McGhee, with regard to the Aberdeen chief's interest in Paterson.

If both players do end up on loan at the Dons, it is highly likely that the Scottish club will expect the Pilgrims to pay part of their salaries while they are plying their trade north of the border – as is the norm with temporary transfers. The extent of the wage subsidies could become a point of contention.

Another Scottish Premier League club, Heart of Midlothian, are expected to visit Home Park to tackle the Pilgrims in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday, July 29, but they have announced that they cannot confirm the fixture until their plans to play another game in England have been finalised.

The Pilgrims have added a reserve-team friendly fixture to their pre-season schedule. They will take on Plymouth Parkway at Bolitho Park, Manadon, on Tuesday, July 14 (7.45pm).