1:Rangers can sign Lawrence Shankland as Cyriel Dessers knocks down transfer barrier

1:Rangers can sign Lawrence Shankland as Cyriel Dessers knocks down transfer barrier

Lawrence Shankland’s future remains unresolved at Hearts after the best part of a year’s worth of transfer links to Rangers.

 

The Jambos captain has rejected multiple offers of a contract extension at Tynecastle and has now entered the final 12 months of his current deal, and the expected sale of Cyriel Dessers not only makes the need for a player like the Scot greater but seems to dispel one of the main arguments against signing him.

 

 

 

He has been regularly cited as the kind of proven Scottish Premiership goalscorer that the Light Blues need, with the failure to sign him in January even held up by Ally McCoist as what cost them the title to Celtic again [Scottish Sun, 21 June].

 

The circumstances appear to make this summer an excellent opportunity to land an established senior striker and yet still Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen appear reluctant to push for it.

 

According to the Scottish Daily Mail on 1 July the Light Blues don’t want to overpay for a player they could potentially sign for free in a year, even though Shankland himself would “jump at the chance”.

Lawrence Shankland interested in Hearts exit to Rangers

But if the likes of McCoist and Kris Boyd are right and the Scotland international’s goals are what would fire Rangers to the title that could be another trophy taken to Parkhead in the meantime.

 

Shankland’s record in Scotland over the past two seasons at Hearts is undeniable – 59 goals in all competitions – and yet his age, 28, and the perceived lack of sell-on value in the future is often cited as reason why the deal doesn’t make sense.

Ibrox News pundit Derek Ferguson has advocated ignoring the common argument and making a move for the boyhood Gers fan, while Kenny Miller has also suggested it is a sticking point in Govan [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, 23 April].

 

Join the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel to get all our exclusives and the breaking transfer news FIRST.

And yet Dessers, so often compared unfavourably to Shankland over the course of his year in Glasgow, is now a target for clubs in five different countries after Cagliari joined the race [Tutto Mercato Web, 9 July] and and the Light Blues hope to make their money back on his £4.5million signing a year ago, according to Chris Jack (3 July).

 

Cyriel Dessers lined up for Ibrox transfer exit

The 22-goal Ibrox forward is the best part of a year older than his Hearts counterpart and arrived as a 28-year-old last summer.