Lawrence Shankland could leave Hearts amid Rangers speculation after latest development
Hearts appear to be gearing up for the possible exit of Lawrence Shankland after months of speculation around a move to Rangers.
The Jambos revealed their new home kit for the 2024/25 season on their official website on 31 May but the star striker and captain did not feature anywhere in the promotional video.
Eight of his teammates from the men’s team, as well as a number of the women’s side, are involved but there is no sign of the Scotland international striker who scored 31 times in all competitions last season.
The boyhood Light Blues fan has been linked to a potential Ibrox switch since prior to the January transfer window, where nothing concrete materialised despite Philippe Clement’s side having lost Danilo and Abdallah Sima to long-term injury and letting struggling forward Sam Lammers leave on loan.
With the latter now expected to be sold according to Rangers Review (29 May) and Sima’s loan from Brighton coming to an end Rangers are likely to look for more help in front of goal during the transfer window.
And with Shankland’s Tynecastle deal entering its final year this summer, after he rejected all previous offers of an extension, suggestions he could head to Glasgow have remained.
Can Philippe Clement land a new Rangers striker?
PLZ Soccer‘s Peter Martin even claimed on 22 March that “everybody thinks” the move is happening in the upcoming window, while ex-Ibrox forward Kenny Miller told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on 23 April that it would be a “really good” one.
Clearly, the 28-year-old striker’s absence from promotional material isn’t a total guarantee that he is leaving, and there is not yet certainty that Rangers have the budget to buy him if he is.
But when the likes of Cammy Devlin, Kenneth Vargas, Frankie Kent and others are all featured the club’s captain and most high-profile player is conspicuous by his absence.
Preparations for involvement in Steve Clarke’s Euro 2024 squad might have explained Shankland not being included on the Hearts site, but fellow Scotland international Craig Gordon is there.
Shankland himself admitted to BBC Sport Scotland on 8 March that opportunities elsewhere could be tempting, while expressing his ongoing commitment to the Jam Tarts during the season.
Hearts chief executive admitted after the winter window that the club couldn’t force the star frontman to stay after the rejected contract extensions [Scottish Sun, 5 February], and the latest development at the Edinburgh side suggests more than ever that an exit might be on the cards.
Clement has plenty of work to do this summer, and James Bisgrove’s exit has created new uncertainty at Ibrox, so the Belgian will have to hope that a board led by John Bennett can come up with the cash to move for Shankland and still do other business if he wants to add the proven scorer.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are chasing a cut-price signing with an international transfer already being finalised.
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