Hearts now expect to lose Lawrence Shankland on a free transfer so a long-awaited move to Rangers could finally be on the cards.
The Scotland international has been linked to the Light Blues, the club he supports, for more than a year but no move has yet materialised.
That is despite internal discussions behind the scenes when Philippe Clement warmed to the idea of signing the striker after Sam Lammers was sold to FC Twente in the summer [Daily Record, 29 July].
Shankland’s price-tag was believed to be a large part of the reluctance to make the move, despite the goalscorer being interested [Scottish Daily Mail, 1 July], with the Jam Tarts expected to insist on a multimillion pound fee even after the 29-year-old entered the final year of his contract.
But now Hearts CEO Andrew McKinlay has admitted he expects the captain to run his deal down and join a new club in the summer, having rejected all previous offers of an extension.
He said, via the Daily Record (10 October): “If Lawrence or his advisors want to reopen talks, we’re happy to have a chat with them. My perception, based on all the discussions we’ve had, based on the lack of interest that there’s been, is that Lawrence will probably see out his contract.
“We’ve never been told that, no one has ever said that. That, to me, seems to be the obvious conclusion of where we’re heading towards. You would happily have the talks but, as of today, there is nothing as such.”
Shankland’s scoring record so far this season has fallen well short of the levels over the past two seasons as Hearts have struggled as a whole.