By Sam Stone

16th Feb, 2023 | 9:40am

Michael Stewart is right, Rangers to complete Lawrence Shankland deal with Alfredo Morelos time up

Alfredo Morelos’ future at Rangers has been a talking point in recent months – and perhaps Hearts’ forward Lawrence Shankland could be the ideal replacement for the Colombian.

Scottish Daily Mail journalist Gary Keown has suggested (Scottish Mail on Sunday (page 103, 12 February) the 26-year-old’s time at Ibrox is now up after a string of disciplinary issues.

Keown even claimed that Morelos nearly cost Beale and Steven Gerrard their jobs after failing to return on time from a trip to South America. The Colombian was subsequently dropped from Gerrard’s plans and the resulting fixture ended up in a 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat to Hearts.

Shankland has enjoyed a superb season to date, scoring 21 goals in all competitions for Robbie Neilson’s side. There haven’t been any concrete links to the 27-year-old, but Michael Stewart refuses to believe the Gers aren’t looking at the in-form striker.

Stewart said on BBC Sportsound on Saturday (4 February), as per The Scottish Sun: “And you can’t tell me that Rangers wouldn’t be sniffing about Lawrence Shankland – who has banged in 20 goals this season.”

Perhaps the BBC pundit is right. Morelos has endured an upturn in form, but it does feel like he’s only one moment away from another high-profile incident occurring. Furthermore, the lack of a contract breakthrough with the 26-year-old could mean the Light Blues need to start looking elsewhere when it comes to their striker hunt.

Shankland would be a ready-made replacement for the Colombian and would certainly provide some competition for Antonio Colak. This could well be one to keep an eye on when the summer window opens.

In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.