By George Overhill

6th May, 2023 | 9:40am

Rangers transfer news: Lawrence Shankland and Kevin van Veen tipped to be Ibrox targets by Sky Sports pundit

Rangers will need to sign “two elite-level” strikers this summer but Lawrence Shankland or Kevin van Veen could also arrive at Ibrox, says Kris Boyd.

Michael Beale is heading into a major overhaul of his squad in a bid to level the playing field with Celtic for next season, with none of his current forwards likely to be relied on by the time the new campaign comes around.

And former Ibrox goal-scorer and Sky Sports pundit Boyd wants both the Hearts and Motherwell front men considered as a third option after scoring notable hauls respectively this season.

After backing Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi for player of the season in the SPFL he said in his Scottish Sun column: “Running him close, but not quite close enough, for my vote would be Van Veen and Shankland.

“To score 24 and 25 goals respectively for teams outwith the Old Firm is no mean feat.

“I’ve a lot of time for both and I genuinely think Rangers could do worse than consider signing one of them this summer.

“Michael Beale will need to bring in two elite-level front men if he wants to get closer to Celtic.

“But I would not be against Van Veen, even at the age of 31, or Shankland being that third, back-up goalscorer.

“At the very least they should be part of the conversation at Ibrox in the coming months.”

Answer?

Both have proven they can score in the SPFL so there probably worse ideas for forward targets, with James Tavernier on 15 five behind Van Veen and six behind Shankland.

Antonio Colak is the top scoring Light Blues striker this campaign on 13 but hasn’t been a regular feature for weeks, and doesn’t appear to fit in Beale’s system.

Alfredo Morelos, on 11, has started often despite everyone expecting him to depart Ibrox for free in the coming weeks, and Kemar Roofe has been injured virtually all season.

The Jamaica international seems unlikely to have much of a market so he will probably be at the club next season still even if both his teammates were to depart, which in itself could rule the Gers out of buying a third striker from a league rival.

Many fans don’t rate either the Dutch or Scottish goal scorers, and it would be risky to attempt a Champions League campaign relying on them.

But as a back up option there is some sense to it, as long as top-level primary options can be secured, although much will depend on how much money Beale has to spend to complete business at multiple different positions.

In other Rangers news, an official club partner reacted to the manager’s recent reveal as proof a permanent departure has already been sealed.