Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland, who scored 21 goals in the Scottish Premiership last season, has once again been linked with a move to Rangers [via TEAMtalk].

Rangers are currently in need of a goalscoring forward, with talismanic striker Alfredo Morelos set to depart the club in the summer transfer window.

As such, Shankland presents a brilliant replacement option. An old-school centre-forward, his movement off the ball and composure in front of goal are both second to none in Scottish football.

While the Gers have yet to make an offer for the Hearts hitman, they are expected to do so before the end of the summer. It is unclear how much Hearts will command for the player – he is still under contract with them until June 2025.

Who else, besides Rangers, is interested in Lawrence Shankland?

As things stand, Rangers are the only club to be explicitly linked with Shankland in the last few months – therefore, little competition seems to stand in their way of completing a deal.

Celtic and Belgian outfit K. Beerschot V.A. (who he played for from 2021-2022) have both reportedly been interested in the 27-year-old previously, but neither of the two have been linked with a move him over the past year.

Lawrence Shankland career profile

A Glasgow native, Shankland joined his first club, Queen’s Park, at the age of 14. He was given his first senior contract in 2012 – he went on to score eleven goals in 34 games for the Spiders.

An unsuccessful move to Aberdeen, where he was consistently shunted out on loan to clubs such as St. Mirren and Greenock Morton, eventually led to him to sign for Ayr United in Scottish League One. He would score 50 goals in 61 games for the Honest Men, which led to him moving to Dundee United.

After a brief, ill-fated move to Beerschot, he returned to Scotland to sign for Hearts – where will the Tartan Army international end up next?