And so the long goodbye begins.
Ofir Marciano is part of the furniture at Easter Road and his impending departure will leave a massive void in the Hibernian team.
Hibs fans will not need us to tell them that replacing the long-serving goalkeeper will be easier said than done.
But that is the challenge facing Jack Ross and co after Marciano rejected the chance to sign a new contract.
“Ofir won’t accept the deal, won’t be taking up the offer of the contract beyond the expiry of the current one in the summer,” Hibs boss Ross told the Edinburgh Live last week.
“He has been open about that with me. We offered him the best we could within our structure, but I think he’s at an important part of his career in terms of his future.
“He feels like his future lies elsewhere.”
The expectation was that, after four years in Scotland, the Israel international would be heading back to his homeland. But perhaps not.
According to reports from the capital, dethroned Celtic have identified Marciano as a potential solution to their shot-stopping problems.
A 31-year-old free agent from Hibernian may not be the sort of marquee signing Celtic supporters are dreaming of.
But you only have to marvel at Marciano’s stunning double-save in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Ross County to realise that the veteran stopper could be a sizeable upgrade on Scott Bain, Conor Hazard and £5 million flop Vasilis Barkas.
Whereever Marciano ends up – whether it be Glasgow or Tel Aviv – Marciano will always have a special place in the hearts of Hibs supporters.
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