Hibs set to complete double deal for Harry Clarke of Arsenal and Bodø/Glimt forward Elias Hoff Melkersen

Hibs are set to complete a double deal for Arsenal defender Harry Clarke and Bodø/Glimt forward Elias Hoff Melkersen.

Elias Hoff Melkersen, left, and Harry Clarke could both be on their way to Hibs

Clarke, 20, can operate at centre-back or right-back and featured for the Gunners in their pre-season friendly defeat at Easter Road before joining Ross County on a season-long loan arrangement.

He has impressed for the Staggies, scoring three times in 17 appearances. The English Premier League side triggered a recall clause in Clarke’s loan contract, paving the way for the player to join Hibs this month, most likely on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Meanwhile, reports in Norway suggest Hibs are poised to pay a significant six-figure fee to land 19-year-old forward Melkersen, who scored 19 goals in 29 games for Ranheim during a loan spell in the second tier last season and is under contract at the Aspmyra Stadion until 2023.

Melkersen is highly rated in his homeland, and is understood to have been on the Capital club’s radar prior to Shaun Maloney’s arrival. He has scored twice in three appearances for Norway Under-20s and was the subject of a bid from an unnamed Scandinavian club in November.

The Norwegian market is one Hibs have been monitoring closely and the interest in Melkersen comes hot on the heels of links with IK Start captain Kristoffer Tønnessen during the summer transfer window.

Speaking last season ahead of his return to Glimt, Melkersen stated that he wanted to be at a club where he would get regular games, adding: “I don’t play football to sit and watch.”

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