Brentford have completed the signing of Bologna defender Aaron Hickey on a four-year deal for a club-record fee of around £14m.
The Scotland international completed his medical on Friday evening and trained with his teammates for the first time on Saturday morning as the Bees continue to prepare for successive seasons in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old becomes Brentford's first signing of the summer, after Thomas Frank's side initially tried to bring him to West London in the January transfer window.
Responding to the completion of the deal, head coach Frank told the club's official website: "I am very pleased that we have managed to sign Aaron. What he has already achieved in his career is very impressive. He is only 20 and has played a full season in Scotland as well as almost two seasons in Serie A.
"We think that Aaron is a player with great potential, who already has an impressive number of games at a good level under his belt. We believe that we have proven we are a good club for players to maximise their potential. We think we can help him be even better.
"Aaron is a rare thing in modern football in that he is equally good with both feet. He is technically very sound and is good when he has the ball in tight areas. He is an attacking full back that has good creativity, he is a great crosser of the ball, and scored goals in Serie A last year.
"Having played two years in Italy, we know he will have good defensive traits. There are areas to improve and we are looking forward to having him with us so we can be part of his development as a player."
After moving to Bologna from Scottish outfit Hearts back in 2020 for around £1.8m, Hickey went on to make 48 appearances for the club across all competitions during his two-year stay, including 36 in the 2021-22 campaign, during which he scored five goals.
Matthew Tranter
