Josh Doig nears lucrative Marseille move with Hibs set to reap reward in major boost to transfer budget

Scotland Under-21 star set for big move from Seria A to French Ligue 1 giants

Scotland defender Josh Doig is set to complete a £4.3m move to France, after agreeing terms with Ligue 1 Marseille.

The player’s move from Hellas Verona will also land Hibs a bonus seven-figure windfall thanks to clauses added into his contract when he made the move from the Scottish Premiership side in July 2022.

The 22-year-old cost the Italian side £3m when he made the move over two years ago but there were also lucrative add-ons and a percentage of future sell-on fees sewn into the deal and when added to outstanding payments due from the Serie A outfit, the Leith club are set to bank nearly £1.5 million.

Scotland's Josh Doig is set to swap Italy's Serie A for France's Ligue 1, as fee agreed to move to Marseilles from Hellas Verona. Photo by Jose Breton / SNS Group

Doig has been the subject of fevered speculation, with Rangers rumoured to be keen on bringing the Scotland player back to the Premiership. But those hopes appear to have been dashed with the team sitting sixth in the French top flight moving in to sign their man on a four-year deal.

It comes after the left-back’s reputation soared throughout his spell in Italy, as he weighed in with two goals and four assists during his 35 appearances. Following the likes of Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson to Serie A, he scored in his first start, helping his new side to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria, and he was praised for the way he embraced life in Verona and adapted to Italian football.

His eye-catching performances have also taken the young left-back to the brink of a full Scotland cap. Appointed captain of Scot Gemmill’s U-21 side in recent times, he was added to Steve Clarke’s squad for the first time in September 2022 and was selected again a year later following injuries to Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney and Aaron Hickey.

If the left-back is earning the rewards for his efforts, Hibs are also cashing in on their efforts, after chief executive Ben Kensell recognised his future value in negotiations with the Italians two years ago. Now due 27.5 per cent of any profit over the original £3m fee, they will add that to the outstanding payments due on that deal, allowing them to bolster the transfer budget for this month.

Manager Nick Montgomery has made it clear that he is hoping to add at least four new faces to his squad and had hoped to have as many of them in as possible before resuming competitive action against Forfar in the Scottish Cup next weekend and then diving back into Premiership fixtures the following week.

But the Easter Road club have made it clear that while negotiations are still ongoing with prospective investor Bill Foley they would not be spending his money. The billionaire Bournemouth owner has been credited with a projected £6m influx in cash but until the SFA give the go-ahead and the ink has dried on any deal, Montgomery, and the Hibs fans had been warned not to expect a bumper January kitty.

As it is, most of Foley’s money has been earmarked for work on the stadium and the training ground but the Doig windfall would see the purse strings loosened as the board back their manager. That’s provided Director of Football Brian McDermott can identify the right targets and they can be signed off by Montgomery as the men he is confident can improve the squad as they attempt to climb up the league table.

Currently sitting sixth, they have games in hand on the teams above them. But they were hamstrung by injuries as they headed towards the winter break and the numbers were depleted further when the likes of Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller headed off to the Asian Cup with Australian and Rocky Bushiri joined up with DR Congo for the African Cup of Nations. Those international commitments could see the club deprived of their services into February.

Players such as Chris Cadden and Harry McKirdy are expected to play a part after battling back from injury and serious illness but Montgomery still believes he needs to add strength and depth to the squad.

Currently in Dubai on a warm weather training camp, he has taken the opportunity to run the rule over 29-year-old Brazilian playmaker Adryan and Leeds United centre-back Kris Moore, who could be signed on a loan deal until the end of the season. It is understood that Montgomery has yet to decide whether to make a bid for either player.