Former Scotland striker values Hearts skipper Shankland at £5m and says Rangers 'can't afford' fee

Lawrence Shankland’s contract expires in 2025 and he has attracted heavy interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

With the summer transfer window due to open next month, speculation continues to soar over the future of the Scottish Premiership’s biggest talents. After finishing the 2023/24 season as the league’s top scorer with a stunning 24 goals in 37 games, it’s no surprise that Lawrence Shankland is front and centre of a lot of transfer stories.

The Hearts skipper has been attracting interest for months now and as he approaches the final 12 months of his contract, the heat is rising. Given his blistering form, Shankland has been touted for a move across the border to the Premier League but both Celtic and Rangers have reportedly shown interest in him in recent months too.

While adding someone of Shankland’s calibre to their ranks would be a huge power move for either of the Glasgow juggernauts, former Scotland international Frank McAvennie believes Philippe Clement’s side will be priced out of a potential transfer this summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, the striker turned pundit has predicted Rangers to pursue loan options and free transfers for the time being, rather than being in a position to splash the cash on a blockbuster signing like Shankland. The outlet reported back in March that the Gers would need to offer a Scottish record transfer fee in order to prise the 28-year-old away from Hearts. The current record signing stands at £4.4 million.

“I don’t know where they’re getting their money from, because I’ve heard that they’ve really not got much,” McAvennie said. “I think they’ll be going for frees and loans unless they go through the qualifiers and get into the Champions League. Whether they’re going to take a chance and spend it before that, I don’t know.

“I think they want to sign Shankland, but he’ll cost £5 million. He isn’t going there because they haven’t got that kind of money. It’s all about money. It’s all very well saying ‘we’re going to do this’, but that’s for the fans. I don’t think they’ve got the money to do what they want to do.”

Rangers fell agonisingly short of lifting the Scottish Premiership title this season, despite a close tussle with Celtic towards the end of the campaign. Despite the contest being too close to call at one point, the Hoops pulled away and finished eights points clear at the top, as Rangers dropped crucial points against the likes of Motherwell, Ross County and Dundee in the final stretch of fixtures.

Hearts also added insult to injury for Clement and co as the Jambos held them to 3-3 draw in the final match of the season. Unsurprisingly, Shankland got himself on the scoresheet at Tynecastle, making up for their previous defeats to the Light Blues earlier in the season.