Hibs transfer news: Major deal agreed as defender knocks back clubs in England, France and Belgium

Rocky Bushiri has committed to Hibs after knocking back offers from English Championship clubs AND teams on the Continent. The fan favourite, a free agent since his contract expired at the end of last season, has agreed terms on a new deal with the Easter Road club, with confirmation expected within the next 24 hours.

The return of Bushiri represents a major boost for manager David Gray, who had placed a priority on retaining his top performers from a campaign that saw Hibs finish third in the Scottish Premiership with a game to spare. Bushiri has been one of his top targets – and keeping the Democratic Republic of Congo centre-half on the books was considered a cornerstone of Hibernian’s close-season work.

Bushiri achieved cult hero status among Hibs fans last season, with the Belgian-born defender returning to the starting XI as Gray changed shape to a back three – and instantly helped turn around the fortunes of a team who had been stuck in the relegation zone for the opening months of the campaign. From scoring a dramatic late equaliser in the famous 3-3 home draw with Aberdeen that changed anything, to leading the defensive line in famous victories over Celtic AND Rangers, Bushiri was a stand-out.

Defender picked up individual honour for playing team role

The 25-year-old was named Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s end-of-season honours, with his role in the team’s remarkable unbeaten run of 17 straight league games earning high praise. His performances attracted interest from Belgium, France and the second tier in England.

But Bushiri made it clear to Hibs that, while there was more money on offer elsewhere, he wanted to be part of a team playing for high stakes in the seasons ahead. So, while his new deal will put him near the top of the salary scale at Easter Road, he put involvement in Europe and the pursuit of silverware over purely financial incentives.

The popular stopper is expected to join Hibs on their pre-season training camp in the Netherlands next week, as Gray looks to pull together his squad ahead of a challenging campaign. They’ll kick off their competitive season in anger with a Europa League second qualifying round tie against Danish side FC Midtjylland at the end of next month.

Hibs remain in negotiations with Sunderland and Nectar Triantis over a deal to bring another of last season’s star players back to Edinburgh, although there has been no movement on that front. The Premier League-bound Black Cats aren’t back in pre-season yet.

The Hibees remain hopeful of landing former Dundee all-rounder Josh Mulligan, with negotiations ongoing over a compensation fee for the 22-year-old free agent, who has been a regular at Dens Park for the past three seasons. The club are hopeful of reaching an agreement soon.

Gray is still in the market, meanwhile, for at least one striker. He’s short of bodies up front following Dwight Gayle’s retirement and the departure of Mykola Kuharevich, followed by the £1 million sale of forgotten front man Dylan Vente.

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