Matt Scott: Scotland and Edinburgh centre agrees Leicester Tigers move
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Matt Scott is to return to the English Premiership two years after swapping Gloucester for Edinburgh
Scotland centre Matt Scott is to leave Edinburgh to join Leicester Tigers at the end of the season.
Scott has made 96 appearances in two spells spanning seven years with his hometown club.
The 29-year-old, who has 39 caps, returned to Edinburgh in 2018 after two seasons with Gloucester.
Declaring his delight at signing for Leicester, Scott praised the Premiership side as "one of the biggest clubs in Europe".
He added: "It's a team I watched growing up, winning a lot, and if someone told me as a teenager that I would play for Tigers, I wouldn't have believed them."
With rugby currently suspended indefinitely due to coronavirus, Leicester are second bottom of the Premiership while Edinburgh are top of Pro14 Conference B.
Leicester head coach Geordan Murphy, who will be replaced by Steve Borthiwck on 1 July and switch to director of rugby, said: "Matt is an experienced international who will add vital depth to our squad."
Meanwhile, Leicester have released wing Jonah Holmes from the final year of his contract. The 27-year-old Wales cap has played 45 matches in a three-year stint with the club.
Scott's fellow Scotland internationals John Barclay and Dougie Fife and New Zealand Under-20 international Simon Hickey are also leaving Edinburgh, along with Cammy Fenton, Stan South, Sam Thomson, Jason Baggott and Pietro Ceccarelli.
English lock South returns to Exeter Chiefs and Italy prop Ceccarelli joins Brive in France.
"This period of the season is never easy for players - even more so in these unusual times - but all move on with our upmost respect for their hard work and commitment during their time at Edinburgh," said head coach Richard Cockerill.
"These guys all leave having given their all to the club and that's all we can ever ask. It's been a pleasure to coach them and we thank them for their professionalism and attitude. We wish all our leavers the best of luck in their future ambitions."