Premier League side Brentford have confirmed the signing of young Scotland international Aaron Hickey. The arrival of the highly rated Scottish fullback was announced by the Bees this weekend. He has signed a long-term contract with London club Brentford.

Hickey, 20, will play professional football for the first time in England with his transfer to Brentford from Italian Serie A outfit Bologna. He had always been linked with a lot of clubs in England including Arsenal until his transfer to the Bees.

Scotland fullback Hickey moved away from the Scottish Premiership for the first time in his young career when Bologna paid a reported £1.5m to secure his signing from Heart of Midlothian in September 2020. The Italians would be making a big profit on his transfer after a deal worth £17m including add-ons was agreed with Brentford who are enjoying a second season in the top flight in England. It must be pointed out that Hearts are in line for a cut of the transfer fee.

Hickey joins Brentford who were promoted to the Premier League for the first time at the start of last season and they were able to preserve their status for one more season by finishing in number 13 out of 20 teams at the end of the Premier League last season. Ironically, Hickey and Bologna also finished in number 13 out of 20 teams in the Italian Serie A last season. Scottish player Hickey made just 12 appearances for Bologna in his debut season before playing 36 times last season. He had only played 33 times for Hearts before his transfer to Bologna currently managed by SinisaMihaljovic.

On the international scene, Hickey has four caps for Scotland having made his debut in March 2022. He had opted out of selection for the Under-21 team before being called up for the first time by manager Steve Clarke.