Derry City sign NI internationals Boyce and Whyte

Northern Ireland internationals Liam Boyce and Gavin Whyte have joined League of Ireland side Derry City.

Boyce arrives from Scottish side Hearts who he had been with since January 2020, on a two-year deal.

Whyte has agreed a three-year contract with the Brandywell outfit after leaving Championship side Portsmouth by mutual consent in August.

Both arrivals are a major boost for Tiernan Lynch, who begins his first season in charge of the Candystripes on 14 February.

Boyce signing a 'serious coup'

Boyce scored 36 goals in 120 games as he helped the Edinburgh club earn promotion back to the Scottish Premiership in 2021.

He also played in the 2020 and 2022 Scottish Cup finals - and scored in the former as Hearts lost to Celtic - but his progress in recent seasons has been stalled by knee and hamstring injuries.

The Belfast-born forward began his career at Cliftonville, where he won two Irish Premiership titles and was named Ulster Footballer of the Year in 2013.

Boyce joined Ross County in 2014 and ended the 2016-17 as the Scottish Premiership's leading scorer with 23 goals.

He also had a three-year spell with Burton Albion before joining Hearts.

Boyce broke into the Northern Ireland team in 2011 but earned the last of his 28 caps in 2021.

Lynch said that bringing in Boyce was a "serious coup" for the club.

"You only have to look at Liam's record in England and Scotland over the last 10 years to see the quality that he brings. He's a proven goalscorer and a great addition for us," Lynch told the club's website.

Derry beat off competition to sign Whyte

Whyte left Crusaders in 2018 after playing a key part in the north Belfast side winning three Irish Premiership titles in four years.

He won Ulster Footballer of the Year award in 2017–18 before moving to League One side Oxford United.

After impressing at Oxford, the 28-year-old then signed for Cardiff City, but struggled.

He went out on six-month loan to Hull City, where he won promotion to the Championship, and had a year loan back at Oxford.

Whyte joined Portsmouth in 2023 and won promotion with Pompey before departing due to family reasons last summer, with a number of Irish Premiership and League of Ireland sides interested in securing his signature.

Coleraine boss Dean Shiels confirmed on Thursday that the Bannsiders were "interested" in Whyte but that he would be "really, really surprised" if a move materialised.

Lynch said that "every club in the country" was trying to sign Whyte.

"The plans that we put in front of him about what we want to do and where we want to go probably excited him the most", he told the club's website.

"He has played at the highest level and is the type of attacking player that gets people excited, which is what playing at the Brandywell is all about."

Whyte scored on his senior debut for Northern Ireland in September 2018 in a 3–0 win against Israel at Windsor Park and has managed four more goals in 30 international caps.

Boyce and Whyte join fellow Northern Ireland international Shane Ferguson at the Brandywell after he signed a one-year deal in December.

Under Lynch, who left Larne to replace Ruaidhri Higgins as boss in November, Derry have also recruited goalkeeper Arlo Doherty while Patrick McEleney, Will Patching, Daniel Kelly and Tadhg Ryan have left.