Deal confirmed': Romano claims player Arsenal were 'a step' from signing is about to join London rivals
Arsenal have all-but missed out on the signing of Aaron Hickey this summer. The Gunners were heavily linked with the Bologna star in recent months. Indeed, speculation in May suggested Arsenal were closing in on Hickey’s signing. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images Calciomercato claimed at the time that the Gunners had won the race to sign the 20-year-old. However, speculation linking Arsenal and Hickey cooled down over the past few weeks. Brentford then emerged as potential suitors for the Scotland international. And now, it looks as though the Bees have beaten Arsenal to the player’s signature. Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to claim that the deal has been “confirmed” and an official statement is due “soon”. Hickey has completed his medical tests with the West Londoners and has penned a five-year contract, he added. Brentford have reportedly paid €22m (around £18.7m) including add-ons to Bologna. Kieran Tierney is currently Mikel Arteta’s first-choice left-back at Arsenal. Nuno Tavares is Tierney’s deputy, though he struggled at times last season. Admittedly, left-back is not the highest priority for Arsenal. However, given Tavares’ mixed maiden season at the Emirates, Arteta may well want more support in that position. Have something to tell us about this article?
Scotland star Aaron Hickey to ‘fly to England’ to seal big money EPL move as ex-Hearts kid’s contract details revealed
AARON HICKEY is edging closer to completing his big-money move to Brentford this week according to a report. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims that the former Hearts standout will fly to London this week to complete the long-term deal. 1 Brentford manager Thomas Frank has reportedly won the race for Hickey We previously told you on SunSport that Bologna's new sporting director had confirmed the exit of the Scotland international star. He said: "As far as the outgoing market is concerned, the two players who will be leaving our club at the moment are Aaron Hickey and Matias Svanberg. "Our priority at the moment will be contract renewals because we have a lot of players expiring in 2024 and we absolutely want to be ready. "Next season, we want to be challenging for a European place." The 20-year-old netted five times for the Italian side last season in an impressive debut season in Italy. And the Serie A club could replace him Hibs talent Josh Doig or Hopoel Tel Aviv's Israel international Daron Leidner. But now, journalist Fabrizio Romano has shed more light on some major contract details ahead of the big move. He reckons that he will complete his medical this week, and sign a bumper contract taking him all the way to 2027 worth £19 million. He took to Twitter to reveal the new information. He said earlier this morning: "Aaron Hickey will fly to England this week to undergo medical tests and sign as new Brentford player - his contract will be valid until 2027. "Full package could be worth €22m, add-ons included. Deal confirmed." Arsenal were also reportedly chasing the hot prospect who recently made his international debut. The 20 year-old was linked with a move to Emirates this summer as a back up to fellow Scotland star Kieran Tierney may be required for the upcoming season. But it appears Brentford boss Thomas Frank has won the battle for the highly-rated youngster. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
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