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Scotland captain John Barclay swaps Scarlets for Edinburgh

Scotland's John Barclay will play his club rugby in Edinburgh next season. Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Edinburgh have confirmed that Scotland captain John Barclay will join them next summer.

The back-row forward has signed a two-year contract which will take effect when he leaves Scarlets.

The 31-year-old led Scarlets to the Guinness PRO12 title last season and has skippered his country for much of the last two years, when Greig Laidlaw has been unavailable.

The former Glasgow player, who is in his fifth season in Llanelli, said: "I spoke with Richard Cockerill and he outlined his vision for the future.

"Edinburgh as a club, and as a city, has a huge amount of potential and I can see what they are trying to do, so I'm looking forward to being a part of it. Scotland is home, so it'll be great to come back and play at one of my home clubs."

Barclay is set to win his 65th Scotland cap against New Zealand on Saturday and made 152 appearances for Warriors after making his professional debut aged 18.

Edinburgh head coach Cockerill said: "We're delighted that a player of John's calibre has chosen to join Edinburgh. He's a terrific player, with a proven track record and his leadership values will only add to the strong culture we're building at this club. "

John is committed to taking Edinburgh forward and his ambition to create a winning environment will benefit our squad immensely."