Rangers are targeting a transfer deal for Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland to bolster their squad ahead of the upcoming season, according to a report by the Edinburgh Evening News on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The Ibrox club is eager to secure the 30-year-old Scotland striker quickly as he begins World Cup preparations this week, though Hearts intends to resist the move.
The Edinburgh Evening News reported that Rangers could potentially sign Shankland on a free transfer due to a specific break clause embedded in his current contract with Hearts.
This pursuit follows a previous link last summer when Shankland was a free agent, which ultimately concluded with the forward signing a new three-year contract at Tynecastle.
Shankland has maintained high productivity for Hearts, registering 20 goals and six assists last season, which contributed to his inclusion in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
Over his four-year tenure at Tynecastle, the striker has accumulated 88 goals and 29 assists across 171 appearances for the club.
The transfer target aligns with a broader squad overhaul initiated by Rangers head coach Danny Rohl following a third-place finish in the Premiership behind Celtic and Hearts.
Rangers Chairman Andrew Cavenagh confirmed a strategic shift toward domestic talent last week, with Dundee's Luke Graham and Motherwell's Elliot Watt also identified as potential targets.
“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,” said Cavenagh.
Cavenagh explained that the club analyzes specific athletic and tactical profiles, such as the physical traits of defenders, while actively seeking Scottish players who meet those exact requirements.
“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,” he said.
The chairman clarified that this strategy does not limit the club exclusively to Scottish players, but rather serves as a preference alongside an emphasis on experience within the Scottish Premiership.
“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,” said Cavenagh.
Cavenagh added that European qualification status would not alter their transfer blueprint, as the primary objective remains securing the domestic league title.
“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,” said Cavenagh.
