Rangers: Hearts may have to sell Lawrence Shankland in January transfer window amid Tynecastle contract news – pundit
Hearts will have to sell Lawrence Shankland if he doesn’t sign a new contract this month, amid ongoing speculation he could move to Rangers, according to Tam McManus.
Speaking on The Football Show for PLZ Soccer on 22 January the pundit claimed the Jambos have “got to sell him” either in January or in the summer if he doesn’t sign his new deal imminently, while former Celtic boss Neil Lennon said transfer attention was “inevitable” but the 28-year-old doesn’t need to be pushed into anything, as a long-mooted “move will come eventually”.
The Scottish Sun reported on 19 January that the striker is due to turn down a new deal offered to him by Steven Naismith’s side, with his current contract expiring in 18-months.
McManus said (32m 10s): “It all depends on if Lawrence is going to sign a new deal. They’ve obviously offered him one. They’ve offered, by all accounts, one of the biggest they’ve offered anyone in the last 10 years.
“Does Lawrence sign that and feel happy at Hearts, and finish his career at Hearts, or does he think he’s got one more big move in him? That’s going to be his decision. If he doesn’t sign a deal in January then I think they’ve got to sell him in January or the summer, or else they aren’t going to get a lot of money for him.”
After a debate over Shankland’s Scotland place for the Euros were he to stay at Tynecastle, head to Ibrox, or move to England, in which Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell said the striker “holds all the cards”, Peter Martin suggested the player will have been made aware of interest.
He said: “I’m not suggesting for a minute that Rangers have tapped him up at all, or Celtic, or any other club, but in the background there’s always a wee call from somebody who says, ‘I know we’re interested or they’re interested’, or his agent has said to him, ‘Listen, there could be something happening’.”
But Lennon said his focus should be on the summer international tournament and any possible transfer will take care of itself: “He doesn’t need to do anything that he doesn’t want to do at this moment in time. It’s all about what he’s thinking about.
“He’ll obviously have an eye on the Euros because that’s a chance of a lifetime for him, and then the move will come eventually. When? It doesn’t really matter.”
No pressure
Shankland himself does appear to be in the driving seat of the whole situation currently, so probably can afford to focus on Scotland duty for now.
Only a bad injury, or an unlikely nosedive in form, is going to prevent Hearts, Rangers, and any other club looking for a goalscorer from being interested over the coming months if he doesn’t sign a deal.
The Light Blues apparently were in a position to put big money on the table for him this month, but have instead chosen to commit £4.5million to Mohamed Diomande from FC Nordsjaelland.
That might suggest that Philippe Clement isn’t interested in Shankland after all, but given the Ibrox boss hasn’t signed an another number nine yet this month it still can’t be ruled out.
The need for an alternative to Cyriel Dessers looked major heading into January, and with Abdallah Sima’s goals now knocked out by injury too that need has only increased.
If Clement and his staff do like Shankland for Rangers then perhaps a lower-cost move in the summer is what they are aiming for, but it would be a risk to take to wait that long if the money was there, just as it would seem be a risk to not sign a striker this month.
In other Rangers news, the club have made an approach over an attacking target for the second window in succession.
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