Lawrence Shankland agrees Rangers transfer as Hearts release clause emerges

The Scotland striker was previously linked with a move to Ibrox when he was a free agent last summer but no approach was made and he signed a new three-year deal to remain at Tynecastle.

However, Rangers are now set to sign the 30-year-old after it emerged that his Hearts contract contains a release clause that allows him to exit the club this summer.

Rangers are hoping to complete the deal before Shankland joins up with the Scotland squad for the start of World Cup preparations this week. A two-year contract, including the option of a third, is understood to have been agreed.

Shankland enjoyed another excellent season in maroon, scoring 20 goals with six assists as Hearts narrowly missed out on a first league title in 66 years. Across his entire stint at Tynecastle spanning almost four years he has netted 88 goals alongside 29 assists, playing 171 times.

Rangers are set for an extensive summer rebuild under head coach Danny Rohl after a calamitous season saw them finish third behind Celtic and Hearts.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh stated last week that players within Scotland are to be targeted in pursuit of domestic success. Shankland is set to become Rangers’ first summer recruit with Dundee’s Luke Graham and Motherwell’s Elliot Watt also reported targets.

Cavenagh said: “We have a pro-Scottish bias in the club today. Meaning, if you have two players roughly equal and one is Scottish then we will take the Scottish player. When we look at what positions we are filling we don’t start with people, we start with profiles.

“What positions is it, what type of person is it. An athletic centre-back or a ball-winning centre-back for example. How big, how fast? And we are always asking who is Scottish that fits that profile. Every time, we are looking at that.

“That’s not to say we can just go out and grab 11 Scots off the street and win the title. It is a bias towards Scottish players, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only criteria we look at to build a winning team. I would say we equally look at an SPFL bias. If we’re looking at two players who are roughly similar, and one has extensive SPFL experience against one that does not, we would take the SPFL experienced player.

“I would say that our European qualification has little impact on what we are trying to do this summer. We’re trying to build a squad to win the league. Our focus is on winning the league first and foremost. We do want to play at the highest possible level in Europe, for the prestige, the competition and selfishly the revenue as well, but our squad rebuild this summer won’t be dictated in August. It’s already planned for, and starts tomorrow.”