Hibernian have officially confirmed the departure of striker Kieron Bowie for a club record fee, as the 23-year-old has penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with Italian side Hellas Verona.

The fee is understood to be in the region of £6 million and has the potential to rise to £7 million with future add-ons. Bowie’s former club Fulham are also set to profit from this deal due to a significant 20% sell-on clause.

It was reported on Tuesday that the Easter Road outfit had rejected an initial opening bid from Hellas Verona for the Scotland striker, but the Serie A strugglers had since returned with a second offer that was ultimately too good to turn down.

Bowie joined Hibs in August 2024 from Fulham for just £600,000 and made a total of 52 appearances for David Gray’s men, registering 15 goals and five assists during his time at the club, whilst also earning his first ever senior Scotland call-up at the end of the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership campaign, having been influential towards Hibs’ 17-game unbeaten run and third-place finish.

The Italian top tier has proven to be a popular destination for Scottish talent to make the move to, as Bowie is now currently the seventh Scot to play in Serie A, joining the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, Lennon Miller, Che Adams and Josh Doig.

Hellas Verona sit joint bottom of the Serie A table and will be hoping Bowie can help contribute towards their hopes of a survival bid, whereas Bowie himself will be eager to make an impact in Italy with a place in Scotland’s World Cup squad next summer on the line.

Before flying out to Italy early this morning to complete a medical, Bowie spoke to Sky Sports Scotland, saying that he felt the move was good for all parties involved and discussed the opportunity of playing in Italy.

Bowie said: “I’ve had 18 months at Hibs now and I’ve done extremely well there. They’ve done well for me, so I think for all parties it’s good.

“Italy appeals, there’s obviously a lot of people from Scotland who have gone there and have done well.

“It opens a lot of opportunities for myself and my family, which is the main thing.

“It’s a top league and obviously with the World Cup coming up, that’s the idea.”