Breaking News:Lawrence Shankland to Rangers moves a step closer as Hearts resigned to striker exit
Hearts now expect to lose Lawrence Shankland on a free transfer so a long-awaited move to Rangers could finally be on the cards.
The Scotland international has been linked to the Light Blues, the club he supports, for more than a year but no move has yet materialised.
That is despite internal discussions behind the scenes when Philippe Clement warmed to the idea of signing the striker after Sam Lammers was sold to FC Twente in the summer [Daily Record, 29 July].
Shankland’s price-tag was believed to be a large part of the reluctance to make the move, despite the goalscorer being interested [Scottish Daily Mail, 1 July], with the Jam Tarts expected to insist on a multimillion pound fee even after the 29-year-old entered the final year of his contract.
But now Hearts CEO Andrew McKinlay has admitted he expects the captain to run his deal down and join a new club in the summer, having rejected all previous offers of an extension.
Andrew McKinlay admits Rangers target likely to leave
He said, via the Daily Record (10 October): “If Lawrence or his advisors want to reopen talks, we’re happy to have a chat with them. My perception, based on all the discussions we’ve had, based on the lack of interest that there’s been, is that Lawrence will probably see out his contract.
“We’ve never been told that, no one has ever said that. That, to me, seems to be the obvious conclusion of where we’re heading towards. You would happily have the talks but, as of today, there is nothing as such.”
Shankland’s scoring record so far this season has fallen well short of the levels over the past two seasons as Hearts have struggled as a whole.
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He has netted just once with three assists in 11 appearances across all competitions, after scoring 59 in the two previous years combined, so the eagerness for other clubs to snap him up may have dipped.
Cyriel Dessers Rangers
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers continues to divide opinion [Credit: Imago]
But with Rangers once again regularly relying on the inconsistent Cyriel Dessers to man the number nine position alone so far this term there is surely going to be interest in a free agent pick up.
It’s possible if Shankland struggles for the full campaign, Hamza Igamane is able to establish himself, and Danilo ever gets over his injury nightmare that the wide open door to sign Shankland in the summer slams shut.
But now Hearts are seemingly resigned to his departure nearly all signs point towards the Light Blues moving to bring in a bargain after reticence over his value.
In other Rangers news, Ianis Hagi is expected to leave despite his return to the first-team after a stand-off.
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