Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Sun 24 May 2026 18:10, UK

Rangers are closing in on the signing of Lawrence Shankland, but there are likely to be exits in the attacking department over the summer.

Shankland has cut short his holiday to agree terms with Rangers, with the deal expected to be made official early next week.

The 30-year-old was superb once again for Hearts this past season as they finished just short of a famous title win.

Once he officially arrives at Ibrox, Shankland will instantly become Danny Rohl‘s go-to man in the final third.

But the deal could spell the end for some players already on Rangers’ books before the summer transfer window closes.

Rangers exits expected once Lawrence Shankland joins

Landing Shankland prior to the summer transfer window even officially opening is a massive coup for Andrew Cavenagh and Rangers.

This is a player who directly contributed to 19 goals in the Scottish Premiership in 2025-26, albeit that was not enough for Hearts to finish above Celtic.

In an update via BBC Sport on Sunday, Tom English shared that “people with knowledge of the negotiations are being coy” about exactly what fee Rangers are paying Hearts.

There has been talk of Shankland having a break clause in his contract, which would allow him to leave for nothing, but both clubs are staying quiet on that.

And English also points out that “it is unlikely” that each of Rangers’ current attackers will still be in Glasgow come August.

Youssef Chermiti, Ryan Naderi, Bojan Miovski and Danilo are each on Rangers’ books, soon to be joined by Shankland.

Rangers forward has already stated desire to leave

The reality is that Rangers will likely not stop at Shankland in terms of signing other attackers over the summer.

This season was dire and big changes are required in multiple positions, with Rohl confirmed to be the man who will be in charge for the start of 2026-27.

In terms of outgoing players, it would not be surprising to see a couple of those aforementioned names head for the exit.

Indeed, Danilo has already made clear his future is away from Rangers, with a return to Brazil his priority.

Miovski and Naderi have not been around for long, but the former struggled in his maiden campaign in Glasgow and will now find himself further down the pecking order.

Shankland’s signing instantly improves Rohl’s squad, but a lot more is still needed before fans will be confident of a title challenge next term.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.