(Football news) Brentford are expected to confirm the signing of Aaron Hickey from Bologna, with the Scotland defender due to fly to England on Tuesday for a club medical. The Premier League club have agreed to pay £18.9m for the 20-year-old, who joined Bologna from Hearts  just under two years ago. Hickey has gone on to play 48 times for the Serie A club, starting 34 games in Serie A last season. The left-back, who can play in various other positions, is poised to sign a contract until 2027.

The fee will eclipse the club-record £13.5 million fee they paid to sign Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic last summer transfer window. Hickey made 36 appearances in total and scored five goals for Bologna in 2021-22 as he helped them finish 13th in Serie A. The Scotland international joined Bologna from Heart of Midlothian in September 2020. Brentford will travel to Germany next week for a pre-season training camp and if the Hickey deal is completed in time, he should link up with the team for the tour. Brentford are also pushing closer towards an agreement with Hull City over the signing of Keane Lewis-Potter. 

Thomas Frank’s side made offers for Keane Lewis Potter last summer and in January, but it appears that they will finally secure his signature at the third attempt. Brentford offered Hull a package which is worth £20 million last week. Brentford are confident of finally signing long-term target Lewis-Potter, and while fee is yet to be agreed, there's a belief that it will be made official. The Bees hope an initial £16m fee will be enough to complete the deal as the fee will rise to £20m. Thomas Frank's side also remains in the market for another goalkeeper. David Raya, who ended the season by getting a Spain international cap and has since retained his place in Luis Enrique's squad. 

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