Rangers eye Lawrence Shankland as ‘ideal’ January transfer with Hearts captain on board with move
Lawrence Shankland is viewed by Rangers as their “ideal signing” for the January transfer window if they can make a deal work for the Hearts captain, according to The 4th Official.
The online outlet reported via Patreon on 4 January that the Scotland international is interested in an Ibrox switch, just as the club would like to bring him in, but cost remains the key barrier.
Hearts reportedly want “silly money” of at least £3million for the 28-year-old while the Light Blues will only pay a “fair price” for the “clinical forward” who has scored 13 SPFL goals so far this term.
Rangers have already added Wolves’ Fabio Silva on loan to Philippe Clement’s attacking ranks, but with Danilo out long-term and Kemar Roofe repeatedly injured himself there looks likely to be a need for an out-and-out striker to come in this month.
Big ask
Shankland has been increasingly linked to Rangers in recent weeks by pundits and fans alike and it appears the club does indeed view matters the same way.
But as the Jambos’ captain and talisman it is little surprise that the Edinburgh side is far less enthusiastic about the potential of seeing him head to Govan.
His contract currently has 18-months left to run and the asking price will necessarily run down with it, but until the summer at least his goals may be worth more to Steven Naithsmith’s side than any depreciation in value between now and then.
Clement needs a boost to his goalscoring department sooner rather than later with Cyriel Dessers, who has improved in recent weeks but still frustrates after his summer move, more or less the only clear options right now.
Sam Lammers offers very little and Silva isn’t prolific so the requirement to add a proven scorer before the window shuts again could be the difference between more silverware this season and making do with just the League Cup.
Barring a major change of heart at Tynecastle it looks like both Rangers and Shankland will have to wait, with a move potentially more viable in the summer.
A low-cost stopgap solution is therefore possible, with Kevin van Veen continuing to talk up his availability, but it easier said than done.
In other Rangers news, a Premier League side has made their decision on the immediate future of one “eye-catching” ace that the Light Blues want to install as a starter straight away.