Rangers linked defender completes Serie A move as Premiership rivals reap rewards

Former Hibs defender Josh Doig has completed a move to Serie A outfit Sassuolo in a deal which ends one of the longest running transfer sagas of this month’s window.

The 23-year-old left back has had an impressive start to the season with Serie A strugglers Hellas Verona and was viewed as one of the side’s shining lights in his 12 appearances this term despite the team facing the threat of relegation.

The Scotland U21 international spent a year and a half at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi and also featured 22 times last season as the Veneto based outfit narrowly avoided relegation.

Doig’s form both at Verona, and his impressive performances prior to that at Hibs, made him a top transfer target for Rangers - particularly due to the uncertainty surrounding the futures of both Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz. Philippe Clement was thought to be an admirer of Doig, who was named in the Scottish Premiership Team of the Season during the 2020/21 season. 

However, any hopes of that move seemed dead and buried when Gennaro Gattuso’s Marseille look to have agreed a £4.3m deal for the player earlier in the month. That proposed move to Marseille eventually collapsed and it has now been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano that a move to fellow Serie A side Sassuolo has instead been completed.

The Italian transfer guru confirmed the news in a tweet on his social media. Which reads: “Sassuolo have completed the deal to sign Josh Doig from Hellas Verona on permanent deal.

Doig, expected to undergo medical tests on Friday at Sassuolo after OM deal collapsed.”

Should the deal go through as expected it will provide Edinburgh based outfit Hib with a vital transfer boost. Hibs, who sold the player in 2022 are reportedly entitled to a windfall of around £550,000 as part of a sell-on clause placed on the player, as reported by the Daily Record.

Doig’s new team Sassuolo competed in the Europa League as recently as 2017, but they themselves are currently battling to survive in Serie A. The Black and Greens are 14th in the table as it stands, but are just two points clear of the relegation zone.