Rangers have ‘got to take’ Lawrence Shankland as Hearts to Celtic move mooted
Rangers have been sent a message about signing Lawrence Shankland in the summer transfer window, with Celtic now touted as potential suitors for the Hearts striker.
After two outstanding seasons at Tynecastle, the 29-year-old has endured a more difficult individual campaign this time around.
He has found the net just four times in 28 Scottish Premiership appearances during the 2024/25 season, although speculation around his future remains.
Rangers were understood to be in pole position to sign Shankland in the January transfer window, although no deal materialised once again as he instead remained with the Jam Tarts.
But with the striker’s contract at Tynecastle due to expire in the summer, he will finally be available on a free transfer in just a few weeks time.
Rangers told to pursue Lawrence Shankland again
There is believed to still be a chance that Rangers could pursue a deal to sign Shankland again ahead of next season.
The ‘Gers are again set to fall short in the battle to surpass Celtic at the top of the Scottish top-flight standings this season.
Hearts meanwhile have found themselves in the bottom half of the Premiership split for the final games of the campaign, following a mixed period under Neil Critchley.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Paul Slane suggested Shankland‘s impending exit will be a blow at Tynecastle, but that Rangers must ensure they are the ones who get the striker after multiple transfer windows of speculation.
| Lawrence Shankland 2024/25 key stats | Total (from Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 39 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 9 |
| Yellow Cards | 9 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
Discussing the situation at Hearts, the ex-Celtic and Motherwell midfielder said: “Shankland will be a big miss, he’ll be away in the summer.
“I don’t know [where he’s going]. For me Rangers have got to take him. Got to take him. I think Shankland’s brilliant, I do.
“This season he’s not been great, but I really do think when you get him firing he’ll be brilliant for Rangers.”
After being asked if he would like to see Shankland at Ibrox, former ‘Gers defender Andy Halliday then backed that up by adding: “I just think it’s a no-brainer.
“A free transfer, if they can get him for the right amount of money, obviously Rangers are trying to take down the wage bill over the last couple of years. You’d definitely have him as part of your squad.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is also keen to strengthen his squad this summer, leading Si Ferry to question if they could swoop in to sign Shankland as a third striker option alongside Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah.
Responding to that idea, former Bhoys forward Tony Watt said: “Celtic probably need another number nine now don’t they, because the boy [Johnny] Kenny’s not really getting a sniff.
“Somebody that scored [around] 25 goals [last season], I think they could do worse.”
Hearts striker would be a useful addition
Football Insider Verdict
It is clear that both Celtic and Rangers need to strengthen their squads once the transfer window opens at the end of this season.
While the ‘Gers have again struggled to challenge their Old Firm rivals for the title, Brendan Rodgers’ side have had some worrying results of their own recently.
Bringing in Shankland would therefore be a smart move for either club, as a player who has shown he can be a major goalscoring threat as this level. Playing in a stronger squad could bring the best out of the 29-year-old again too.
His availability on a free transfer also helps in terms of keeping funds free to invest on other potentially important signings as well.
With that in mind it might not be a huge surprise if Rangers and Celtic do end up battling it out for the services of Shankland this summer, but as a noted Light Blues fan it would go down as a surprise and a missed opportunity if it was the Hoops who ended up landing him.