Chukunyere signs new three-year deal with Hibs

Ndubisi Chukunyere has signed a new three-year deal with Hibernians.

The Nigerian stalwart, widely regarded as one of the most exciting foreign players in our Premier League, agreed to extend his stay at the Paola club by another three years after months of negotiations.

Ebi Egbe, Chukunyere's UK-based agent, was in Malta over the past few days to take part in the final round of talks which led to the signing of the three-year contract on Monday.

Chukunyere is still adamant on securing a move abroad but he insists he's happy to have signed a new deal for Hibernians, the club that first brought him to Malta.

"I am still looking forward to play abroad," Chukunyere said.

"At the same time, I'm delighted to have agreed new terms with Hibs because they are the only Maltese club for me. This agreement should make it easier for me to move overseas if an ideal offer comes along," the Nigerian, Hibernians' leading scorer this season with 11 goals, added.

Trailing leaders Sliema Wanderers by 14 points, Hibs' chances of retaining the league title appear remote but Chukunyere is still hopeful that his team can power its way back into contention.

"At present, we are not in a very good position but if the top teams drop points in the Championship Pool, we would certainly have a chance to stake a claim for the title," he reckoned.

"To be able to mount a genuine challenge, we have to be far more consistent in the next two rounds because we have dropped too many points against the lower teams this season. But, as I said, I still believe we can challenge for the title, especially now that the teams' tallies will be halved at the start of the next phase."

A few weeks ago, Chukunyere was linked with a move to a club in Qatar but the deal is believed to have fallen through because the clubs could not agree a transfer fee.

The 23-year-old Chukunyere, who impressed in his international debut for Nigeria in a friendly against Egypt last November, would not comment on the collapse of his proposed move to the Gulf but he said his agent is working on other possibilities. "I cannot say much at this stage because there is no concrete offer. All I know is that my agent has contacts with some clubs abroad. Hopefully, something will happen by May."

His chances of catching the eye of an overseas club have certainly been boosted by an invitation to play for an Africa Select XI against a Rest of the World selection. The purpose of this lucrative friendly is to raise money for the 'heart charity' set up by Arsenal stalwart Nwankwo Kanu.

"My agent, a friend of Kanu's manager, has told me that I have been invited to play in the friendly," Chukunyere said.

The match is expected to take place at Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium on Tuesday, March 4.

According to a recent report on BBC Sport, former Celtic manager John Barnes will take charge of the African side, while Bolton boss Sam Allardyce will manage the world stars.

Real Madrid's famous trio of Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane are expected to be in the Rest of the World squad which may also feature Patrick Kluivert, Lilian Thuram and David Beckham.

The report claims that there are no details yet of which African players will play, although obviously Kanu himself is expected to take part.