Josh Doig seals Hellas Verona switch as defender leaves Hibs on four-year deal

Josh Doig has completed his move from Hibernian to Hellas Verona.

The 20-year-old has signed a four-year deal at the Serie A outfit after bursting on to the scene at the Easter Road club in 2020.

Doig played 78 times for Hibs, scoring once, and has been capped for the Scotland under-21 side, however leaves for a reported fee of around £3m plus add-ons.

He was given his debut by Jack Ross at the start of the 2020/21 campaign following a spell on loan with Queen’s Park and was named Scottish Football Writers young player of the year at the end of the season.

Doig, who signed a new deal with the club in November, had previously been a youth team member at city rivals Hearts and becomes the latest player to swap the SPFL for Serie A after Lewis Ferguson left Aberdeen to join Bologna on Tuesday.

Hibs chief executive Ben Kensell said: “Understandably, there’s been a lot of interest and speculation around him for a prolonged period of time, but we’ve always been in a strong, controlled position after he extended his contract with us back in November.

“We had good but drawn-out conversations with Verona, and this led to the perfect outcome for us and for Josh.

“We have received what is a really significant fee for this football club, money that will be reinvested into the First Team squad.

“This is a great example of what we want Hibs to be; a club that gives young, talented players a platform to shine before they generate substantial fees to re-invest into the Club and the playing squad. This is how we will grow as a football club.”

Verona finished ninth in Serie A last season and are now managed by ex-Crawley Town boss Gabriele Cioffi.

Manager Lee Johnson added: “This deal highlights the great work done in the Academy and shows the pathway for our young players.

“The terms of this deal made complete sense for us. Josh is an excellent talent and I have no doubt he will go on to have a successful future.”