Hearts defender Aaron Hickey said it’s ‘a dream come true’ to join Bologna and potentially ‘go from my primary school playground to San Siro.’
The 18-year-old was pictured at the airport holding an Italian flag as he prepared to fly out today with his father.
He could even make his debut next weekend against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Milan at San Siro.
“Ibrahimovic has been playing since I was a wee guy so it's massive for me,” Hickey told BBC Sport.
Hearts defender Aaron Hickey said it’s ‘a dream come true’ to join Bologna and potentially ‘go from my primary school playground to San Siro.’
The 18-year-old was pictured at the airport holding an Italian flag as he prepared to fly out today with his father.
He could even make his debut next weekend against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Milan at San Siro.
“Ibrahimovic has been playing since I was a wee guy so it's massive for me,” Hickey told BBC Sport.
“Going from my primary school playground to San Siro would just be amazing. I'll go over and train my hardest, and do whatever I can to break through to the first team.
“It's one of the top leagues in the world. Playing against [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Paulo] Dybala, it's going to be crazy for me – if I get the chance.”
Although Bayern Munich and Celtic were also interested, Bologna were able to convince Hickey by inviting him over to visit their training ground and promising to help his development as a defender.
“Bologna has a family feel to it, so I feel I've made the right decision. It just made me feel really comfortable, and had a nice feel to it – just really friendly.
“It's the closest I'll probably get to first-team football out of the teams I've been to. It's a dream come true.”