Lawrence Shankland completes Rangers transfer: contract length, deal details and what Hearts had to say

The Ibrox club invoked a clause in Shankland’s Hearts contract that allowed him to depart Tynecastle. Both clubs say that the terms of the transfer remain undisclosed.

Rangers passed up the opportunity to sign Shankland last summer and he netted 20 goals in 34 appearances as Hearts came so close to landing the Premiership title. However, with the Ibrox hierarchy keen to bring in more domestic players during the upcoming transfer window, they have moved swiftly to land Shankland ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

”Rangers Football Club can today announce the signing of striker Lawrence Shankland on a two-year deal, with an option for an additional year,” a statement from the Ibrox side read on Tuesday evening. “The Scotland international will become the first addition of the summer, joining from Heart of Midlothian on undisclosed terms once the transfer window opens on 15 June.

“Shankland spent the past four seasons in Edinburgh, where he established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in Scotland, scoring 88 goals in 171 appearances. Captaining Hearts in recent campaigns, he arrives with a wealth of experience in the Scottish Premiership.

“The 30-year-old has worked his way through the leagues, starting his career with Queen’s Park. A spell at Aberdeen followed, with various loan moves, before he caught attention with his goalscoring records at Ayr United and Dundee United. Prior to joining Hearts, he spent a season in the Belgian Pro League with Beerschot.

Speaking to Rangers TV, Shankland said: "I am delighted to be here and to have this opportunity. Rangers is my boyhood club, and it has always been a dream to play here, so I was really keen to get it done.

"A lot of hard graft has gone in to get to this point, and I'm just really happy. The club are in a position where they want to get back to winning silverware more regularly, and I want to be a big part of that, so that's what I have come here to do."

Rangers head coach Danny Röhl said: "We are delighted to have Lawrence join Rangers. He is a player with proven quality, leadership and work ethic, and his goalscoring record in Scotland speaks for itself.

"He understands the demands and expectations that come with playing for Rangers, and we believe his character and experience will be a huge asset for the group. I wish him well at the World Cup this summer, and look forward to welcoming him back to Glasgow during pre-season."

The transfer is a major blow to Hearts, who are still recovering from losing the title to Celtic on the final day of the season. Shankland scored 88 goals in 171 appearances for the Jambos since joining from Beerschot in 2022 and is the club’s most prolific forward since legendary hitman John Robertson.

A Hearts statement on Shankland’s departure read: “Heart of Midlothian can confirm that Lawrence Shankland is leaving the club to join Rangers. The striker will make the move to Ibrox on undisclosed terms once the summer transfer window opens on June 15th. We thank Lawrence for all of his efforts during his four years in Gorgie.”

Shankland will now turn his attentions to Scotland’s World Cup campaign. The 30-year-old is part of Steve Clarke’s 26-man squad and is expected to play a part in Saturday’s pre-tournament warm-up match against Curacao at Hampden.

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