Hibs hopeful of sealing Dylan Vente transfer ahead of league curtain-raiser

Hibs are on track to complete a deal for Dutch striker Dylan Vente ahead of the start of the 2023/24 cinch Premiership campaign.

The Easter Road side emerged as contenders for the 24-year-old Roda JC star’s signature late last week, following reported interest in the player from Coventry, Sunderland, and Swansea as well as Italian sides Palermo and Pisa. Vente struck 21 goals in 38 Eerste Divisie appearances last season following on from 23 in 38 the previous year and reports in the player’s homeland suggest he will sign a three-year deal in the Capital.

He could be unveiled early next week as Lee Johnson’s ninth summer signing after Élie Youan agreed a permanent deal following a successful loan spell, Will Fish returned from Manchester United on a second season-long loan arrangement, and Max Boruc, Riley Harbottle, Adam Le Fondre, Dylan Levitt, Jordan Obita, and Jojo Wollacott signed permanent deals.

With a year left on his contract with the Kerkrade club, Vente will command a sizeable fee and Dutch media have claimed that figure could be more than £700,000. Hibs have been on the lookout for a replacement for Kevin Nisbet, who joined Millwall at the start of the summer. Le Fondre, Christian Doidge, and Elias Melkersen have all been on target in pre-season but Johnson has repeatedly stressed the need for a number nine to fill the void left by Nisbet’s departure.

Dylan Vente could be unveiled as a Hibs player early this week. Picture: Contributed

Should everything be signed off and rubber-stamped ahead of next weekend he could make his debut against St Mirren in the campaign curtain-raiser at Easter Road on Sunday but the former Feyenoord youngster won’t be eligible to feature for Hibs in the second leg of their Europa Conference League second qualifying round encounter with Andorrans Inter Club d’Escaldes,

Hibs have been casting the net wide in terms of recruitment in recent months and have sent representatives to games in Italy and the Netherlands among other countries, while two Spanish youngsters, Miguel Cuadros and David Tirado, who left Villarreal this summer, featured as trialists in a recent development squad game against Burnley’s Under-21s.

Meanwhile, Hibs have been drawn to face Raith Rovers in the second round of the Viaplay Cup next month. Former Easter Road captain Ian Murray will take his cinch Championship side to Edinburgh on the weekend of August 19/20.