Rangers must overpay for Hearts goal machine Lawrence Shankland – BBC pundit
Lawrence Shankland will cost Rangers “mega-dough” if they move for the Hearts goal-machine, according to Ryan Stevenson.
The Scotland international was top of the SPFL scoring charts with 15, and had scored six in his last four league appearances for the Jambos prior to their trip to St Mirren on Saturday (7 January).
BBC pundit Stevenson has called it “incredible” that the 27-year-old, who has taken over as captain since Craig Gordon’s injury, is set to become the first Hearts player to score 20 in a season for 31 years, and says with Robbie Neilson’s side not pressed to sell they can command upwards of £5million if the Light Blues come calling.
He wrote in his column for the Daily Record on Saturday (7 January): “You can’t put a price on people that guarantee you goals. Other clubs will be looking at him. I saw Barry Ferguson bigging him up as a possible Rangers target.
“A price tag? You’d be talking £5million-plus.
“Rangers are toiling in front of goal so if they were to move for Shankland then they’d need to overpay and Hearts would be in a position to ask for mega-dough.
“They simply don’t need to sell. It’s not like back in my day when they’d have bitten your hand off at a million pound for anyone. And if they go and get into Europe again next year they’ll be in an even better footing.”
Game-changer
It would be one hell of a statement for the new Michael Beale regime if Rangers went out and paid big money to land the league’s top scorer mid-season.
Ross Wilson has made clear that the club are willing to back the new manager in the January transfer window, but to what extent and with what budget is less certain.
There is obviously something building at Ibrox under the former QPR boss, who has quickly put the doubts over his lack of experience as a manager into the background with an unbeaten record since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
That run included maximum points before an Old Firm derby performance that saw Celtic lucky to escape with a point, and kicking up all manner of fuss ever since.
With the defence starting to return to some fitness in the coming weeks, it may be midfield that is the number one priority right now.
But proven goal scorers can never be ignored, so if door was ajar to sign the Hearts striker amid his sparkling season then it is something the Bears would seriously have to consider.
Alfredo Morelos is still headed for the exit door in the summer without a new contract re-materialising, while Kemar Roofe has barely played all season, so a one-two punch of Shankland and a fit Antonio Colak would certainly mean goals in Scotland.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit has hit back at the Celtic conspiracy theories he is “sick and tired” of since the derby.