Heart of Midlothian has signed striker Elton Kabangu on a permanent contract from Union Saint-Gilloise for an undisclosed fee.

The Belgian forward joined on loan in January and has now signed a three-year contract to remain at Tynecastle.

The 27-year-old scored twice in his first start for Hearts, helping them win the Scottish Cup over Brechin City, and repeated the feat two games later in a 6-0 victory over Dundee.

Kabangu scored eight goals in 18 games to finish the season as the club’s second-highest goalscorer, one behind Lawrence Shankland.

“I am very happy to be able to call Tynecastle my new home,” he said on the Hearts website.

“I’ve had some good times, but I definitely want more of them. I’m just getting started, but there are some big things coming for Hearts.

“I am already looking forward to coming back and working with the new head coach and taking this club forward to success.”

“I had a great conversation with Elton about how I see his role in the team and what I think he can achieve at Hearts,” McInnes recalled.

“We’re both excited about the future, and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“I believe everyone noticed the impact he made when he joined the club in January. “He’s an absolute handful for opposing defences.”

Brighton owner Tony Bloom, who is set to acquire a 29% stake in Hearts after the club’s majority shareholder group approved his £10 million investment, also owns a significant stake in Union Saint-Gilloise.

Union Saint-Gilloise ended a 90-year wait for the Belgian title on Sunday, winning their 12th championship with a 3-1 final-round home victory over Gent.