Hibernian midfielder Ewan Henderson is closing in on a permanent move from the Scottish Premiership to Belgian Jupiler Pro League side Beerschot.

The 24-year-old, who didn't travel with Hibs to the Netherlands for their pre-season training camp and wasn't part of David Gray's squad for Saturday's friendly win against Edinburgh City, spent last season on loan at KV Oostende in the Belgian Challenger Pro League, playing 35 times and scoring four goals. 

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There were rumours Oostende could look to make the move permanent but any scope for such a deal ended when the club was declared bankrupt in May - although Henderson's performances for De Kustboys attracted attention from elsewhere and Beerschot , who won the second-tier title last season, have moved to add the former Celtic youngster to their ranks and are putting the finishing touches to the move.

Hibs are in line to receive a six-figure transfer fee, reported by The Athletic to be in the region of £150,000, and will benefit from add-ons. As is now standard for outgoing transfers from the capital club, a sell-on clause has also been agreed. Henderson is still to undergo a medical at the Olympisch Stadion in Antwerp and requires work permit approval, but the playmaker has agreed personal terms with Beerschot. 

Henderson will be the eleventh permanent or temporary departure from Hibs this summer, not counting loanees, as club chiefs look to slim down a bloated and imbalanced squad. Adam Le Fondre departed at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and is still a free agent while stalwarts Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson left at the end of their contracts and joined Raith Rovers. David Marshall retired to take up the new role of technical performance manager while Jacob Blaney and Dylan Tait left on permanent deals for Crusaders in Northern Ireland and Falkirk respectively. 

Murray Aiken and Murray Johnson have both joined Airdrie on loan while Oscar MacIntyre will spend the season at Queen of the South. Kyle McClelland has moved to Northern Irish side Coleraine on a similar basis

Henderson joined Hibs under Shaun Maloney, initially on loan, in January 2022 but had been on the club's radar prior to his appointment. He played 56 times in total for Hibs, scoring five and recording five assists. 

This particular Beerschot club are first-timers in the country's top flight, although previously-existing clubs carrying the Beerschot name have played in the Pro League in the past. The manager is Dirk Kuyt and the owner is Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud, the founder of United World Group which owns Sheffield United, Dubai-based Al-Hilal United, Châteauroux of France, and Kerala United in India.