Aaron Hickey has finally completed his protracted move from Hearts to Bologna with the Serie A side announcing the deal with a video featuring the Loch Ness Monster.

Hickey decided on a move to Italy more than three weeks ago and left Edinburgh for the country shortly afterwards but the deal has just been finalised.

Bologna declared “he’s here and he’s real” as they announced the transfer to their fans, who must have been questioning whether the player was ever going to materialise.

The confirmation was accompanied by a video of a toy monster emerging from a loch before being picked up by Hickey, who says: “Believe me, I’m real.”

The 18-year-old made 33 first-team appearances for Hearts and netted in an Edinburgh derby.

The full-back attracted interest from the likes of Celtic, Manchester City and Bayern Munich before opting to sign for Bologna in a deal worth about £1.8million.