Hibs sign Bamba from Dunfermline

Bamba had been at East End Park since 2006

Hibernian have signed Souleymane Bamba on a three-year contract from Dunfermline for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old former Paris St Germain defender, who represented the Ivory Coast at the Beijing Olympics, joined the Pars in 2006.

"He's a player with tremendous pace and physical presence," manager Mixu Paatelainen told the club website.

Meanwhile, Hibs have terminated the contracts of Brian Kerr, Martin Canning and Zbigniew Malkowski.

All three men had a year to run on their deals at Easter Road but Paatelainen has been anxious to trim his squad.

Polish goalkeeper Malkowski joined Hibs from Feyenoord three years ago but a series of high-profile blunders saw him dropped from the team at the tail end of 2006.

He was shipped out on loan to Gretna and spent last season with Inverness.

Former Motherwell and Newcastle midfielder Kerr, 26, played in the first leg of Hibs' Intertoto Cup tie with Elfsborg in July but has not featured since.

Canning, recruited after his release from Gretna in February, started Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Motherwell.

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But the arrival of Bamba has rendered the former Ross County defender surplus to requirements at Easter Road.

Bamba looked to have sealed a move to Championship outfit Watford earlier this month but the deal collapsed on his return from the Olympics.