Lawrence Shankland responds to Hearts to Rangers transfer question

Hearts' captain has responded to the growing speculation he is set to leave Tynecastle

Shankland's goal tally continues to attract attention from the transfer market

Lawrence Shankland believes the speculation with a January move to Rangers is just proof he's at the top of his game but he will not be letting the transfer gossip cloud his performance on the pitch.

The Hearts' skipper scored his 13th domestic goal in his side's 2-0 win over Celtic on Saturday and has been continuously linked with a move away from Tynecastle. Hearts' chief executive Andrew McKinlay told last week's AGM that the club plans to open talks with their star striker over a new deal and the club insists that no approach has been made for the 28-year-old.

Shankland's header in the opening 15 minutes against Celtic marked his seventh goal in nine games and helped put Hearts back up into third place. He is now well on the way to breaking his 20-goal mark for the second season running, having scored 28 times in 2022/23.

When asked about the growing speculation, the ex-Aberdeen striker simply said: “It’s a sign I’m doing my job well and scoring goals. That’s all I focus on, doing my job for Hearts and doing it well.”

The 28-year-old's header, not only gave him his 13th domestic goal but also means he now has a goal at both Ibrox and Celtic Park already this season in addition to a Hampden Park Viaplay Cup goal and an international goal against Georgia.

Saturday's goal, however, was his preferred and the striker admitted: "I was just focused on hitting the target. When you find yourself a bit free it’s just about hitting the target. It’s always better when you’re winning. That makes it more special. The boys can be proud of that performance. It’s been a real long time since Hearts came here and won. You need to enjoy those moments and we deserved to enjoy it."