Hibernian have completed the signing of Celtic defender Efe Ambrose, it has been confirmed.
The Scottish club announced on their official Twitter account on Thursday evening that they had successfully completed the transfer of the 28-year-old after an impressive loan spell.
Efe Ambrose's deal to Hibernian has now been complete ??? the defender is joining the Club on a two-year deal: https://t.co/xv1OfEOQus pic.twitter.com/qbAqQVbe3V
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) June 8, 2017
Ambrose had been made available for loan by Scottish champions Celtic for the second-half of the 2016-17 season, where Hibernian fought off interest from elsewhere to snap him up on a short-term deal.
But they have since moved to extend his stay at Easter Road, confirming the 47-time capped Nigeria international has put pen-to-paper on a two-year-deal at the club.
Ambrose had been in talks over a permanent switch to Hibernian for a number of weeks, with the Scottish Sun claiming at the start of June that the deal was on the verge of completion.
However, the club have since confirmed that the deal had been held up over an endorsement from the Scottish FA and for a Visa to be “wholly ratified”, but the transfer has now been officially completed weeks before his Celtic contract was due to expire.
The move brings to an end a mixed spell at Parkhead for Ambrose, where he made 169 appearances in all competitions across his five-year spell.
He was considered a regular first-team player upon his arrival at the club in 2012, but had slipped down the pecking order in recent seasons, making just two appearances for Celtic last season.
Ambrose is the second defender to depart Celtic on Thursday, after it was also confirmed that 21-year-old Eoghan O’Connell had completed a permanent switch to League One outfit Bury.