Sore Hearts rocked by Rangers' Lawrence Shankland power play - with transfer implications for both

After Celtic inflicted agony by pipping the Tynecastle outfit to the Premiership title minutes before the finishing line, it is now the turn of their Old Firm rivals Rangers to leave a sore one on them.

Unless things go majorly awry over the next 24 hours or so, Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland will complete his transfer to Rangers. The striker has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave Tynecastle this summer and the Ibrox side have swooped.

Shankland, 30, is at the peak of his powers right now. He scored 20 goals in 34 appearances this season and was a major reason why Hearts challenged at the sharp end. He is back in Steve Clarke’s Scotland set-up, with many wanting him to be the country’s No 1 striker at this summer’s World Cup.

For all Shankland’s goals and leadership qualities, he was not able to lead Hearts to the holy grail of the title. In what looks set to be his last match for the club, he was guided off the Parkhead pitch by stewards after being accosted by Celtic supporters who had invaded the playing surface. Earlier in the match, Shankland had headed Hearts into a brief lead. The end was ugly and his the curtailment of his Hearts career with leave a bitter taste in the mouth for those of a Gorgie persuasion.

Not since legendary striker John Robertson have Hearts had a talisman like Shankland. Since joining the club in 2022 from Belgian outfit Beerschot, he has scored 88 goals in 171 appearances. Shankland is the skipper, the leader of this Hearts squad, and has developed his game to become more than just a goalscorer. He is more creative, has more in-game intelligence and has improved his fitness.

Hearts were already facing a summer rebuild, with goalkeeper Craig Gordon, defender Frankie Kent and midfield pair Beni Baningime and Cammy Devlin out of contract. There has been no indication of renewals. Loanee Marc Leonard ruptured his Achilles, as did first-choice centre-half Craig Halkett, during a gruelling May. The Tynecastle powerbrokers are expected to be busy this summer with transfer dealings.

They have been linked with Glentoran defender MJ Kamson-Kamara and York’s Malachi Fagan-Walcott. St Johnstone winger Josh McPake has signed a pre-contract, and Versailles midfielder Tom Renaud has committed to the Hearts cause. With respect to all of them, they don’t come close to softening the Shankland blow.

Hearts may have to spend millions to properly replace what Shankland brings to the table - and the matter is not helped by Rangers pinching him on the cheap.

A penny for head coach Derek McInnes’ thoughts, who has yet to speak properly on how the season concluded. He was so keen to get Shankland’s contract at Hearts renewed last summer, pinning his hopes on a man he worked with previously at Aberdeen.

Rangers’ reminder to Hearts

After a bender of a season, the hangover is real for Hearts. One of their title rivals for next season have taken a key player and will become stronger as a result. Make no mistake, this is a sensible bit of business by Rangers - a power play, a reminder of their largesse.

Shankland is a boyhood Ibrox supporter and the club passed up the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer last summer. Keen to have a greater Scottish presence in their squad, chairman Andrew Cavenagh has instructed recruitment chiefs to have a “Scottish bias” when it comes to this summer. Why not buy a player who is one of the top performers in the SPFL?

Rangers’ issues haven’t necessarily been at the top end of the pitch. Striker Youssef Chermiti ended the season strongly and head coach Danny Rohl has a lot of belief in German striker Ryan Naderi, who was bought in January. Fitting Shankland into that front line will be intriguing; it is also worth noting that Chermiti had admirers in Turkey during the winter. More bids cannot be ruled out.

Nothing is guaranteed, but Shankland’s currency is goals. Lots of them. He has Ally McCoist vibes, a composed finisher who doesn’t get fazed by the big moments.

This is also an aggressive move that will get the Rangers fans onside after the team fell away limply during the final stages of an engrossing three-way title race. Some still have doubts over Cavenagh and his fellow American investors. Actions speak louder than words and the decision to pillage a close rival for a domestic player will appease the masses.

Rangers don’t plan to stop there, and their next moves in the transfer market are set to be fascinating. They have been persistently linked all year with Dundee’s highly-rated 22-year-old centre-half Luke Graham. History tells us that the best teams in this country have a Scottish spine.

Over at Tynecastle, the Jamestown Analytics computer will be overheating as Hearts supremoes ask it to churn out potential replacements for Shankland. That net will be cast far and wide. There is no obvious SPFL alternative to him, although some will put Falkirk hitman Barney Stewart forward after his strong campaign.

Hearts still have some mighty fine operators in the final third. Claudio Braga won numerous player of the year awards, Alexandros Kyziridis was a big hit wide. The problem is that the duo may court interest from elsewhere. Are Landry Kabore, Islam Chesnokov - also linked with a move away - and Rogers Mato ready-made deputies?

Shankland scored three times against Rangers this season. He netted the winner at Tynecastle to end their title aspirations and land a savage blow. The roles are set to be reversed in one of Scottish football’s most eye-catching domestic deals for many years.

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