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Rangers have signed Lawrence Shankland from Scottish Premiership rivals Hearts.
The 30-year-old has put pen to paper on an initial two-year deal at Ibrox until the summer of 2028, with the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Shankland scored 20 goals for Hearts last season, including 16 in the Scottish Premiership, as they missed out on a historic league title win on the final day of the season.
His departure from Tynecastle Park will be confirmed on June 15, when the transfer window opens, and comes just 12 months after signing a three-year deal at Hearts as captain.
Although it has been announced that the move is for an undisclosed fee, it is believed that the Ibrox club have taken advantage of a clause in the contract they signed last year.
The Scotland striker will now head to the US for the World Cup, before joining Rangers head coach Danny Rohl’s squad later in the summer.
‘Shankland’s dream come true’
Shankland will join his new team after the World Cup
talking Rangers TVShankland said: “I’m delighted to be here and get this opportunity. Rangers is my boyhood club and it’s always been a dream to play here so I’m really keen to do it.
“A lot of hard graft has gone into getting to this point and I’m really happy. The club is 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’m here to do.”
Head coach Rohl added: “We are delighted to have Lawrence join Rangers, he is a player of 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 to the group. I wish him well at the World Cup this summer and look forward to welcoming him to Glasgow in pre-season.”
From Ibrox to Shankland’s Root Squad
Shankland’s football career began at Queen’s Park
Shankland grew up a Rangers fan but began his football career at Queen’s Park alongside Andy Robertson.
His move to Aberdeen in 2013 led to loan spells at Dunfermline, St Mirren and Morton as he looked to make his mark.
It took some time but that mark was made in 2017 He joined Ayr United as a free agent on a short-term deal and scored 29 goals in all competitions in his first season.
The following campaign he scored 34 goals and moved to Dundee United, where he returned to the top flight with 28 goals in his first season.
Shankland impressed during his time at Dundee United
Two seasons later and he moved to Belgian club Biershott, where he struggled, as the club were relegated from the top flight.
This led to his return to Scotland as he signed a three-year deal at Hearts and impressed, scoring 24 league goals in his first two seasons.
When his contract expired last summer, offers came from abroad but not from Ibrox. After months of negotiations, he opted to stay at Hearts and netted 20 times in all competitions last season, nearly relegating the club to league glory.
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Shankland scored against Celtic on the final day of last season
However, after a season that caught the eye of Rangers chiefs and beyond – the striker, who grew up supporting the club, has now moved to Ibrox and will no doubt be a key player for Rohl.
Rangers need a leader?
Shankland is Rangers head coach Danny Rohl’s first summer signing
Shankland’s move may come as a surprise to some.
After all, just 12 months ago, Rangers failed to sign him when he was out of contract. Bearing in mind some fans even wanted him to mount a title bid in January, it looked like the ‘Shankland to Rangers’ ship had sailed.
However, just a week into a campaign in which he almost fired Hearts to their first top-flight title in 66 years, the player agreed to cut short his holiday and move to Glasgow.
You can see what he can do on the field. Just ask Rangers fans, he scored four league goals in three games against the Ibrox club during the campaign. However, it is not just his goals that will excite the fans, but also his leadership skills.
After all, chairman Andrew Cavenagh said the club must sign players who have the right mentality to play for the club, after watching them finish third in the league.
Can Shankland replace James Tavernier as Rangers captain?
The US businessman also wanted to have a “Scottish Premiership bias” in recruitment and said Rangers would also have a “bias towards Scottish players” come this summer.
Well, Shankland hits the nail on the head from every angle.
He is a leader, he knows the league, he scores goals and he is Scottish.
Rangers need a new captain after James Tavernier left at the end of his contract. Can Shankland be the man to fill those boots and return the club to silverware after a trophyless season?
Rangers may sign Graham, blue interest?
One of the targets of Rangers Dundee the defender Look Graham. The Ibrox side watched the 22-year-old impress at Dens Park last season and held initial talks with his representatives.
However, there have been no formal talks between the clubs for the player, who has interest from clubs across the English Championship and Europe and the United States.
Rangers want Dundee’s Luke Graham
Dundee rejected a bid from Portsmouth in January but are open to further offers this summer.
Graham has been training with the Scotland squad this week to help prepare the squad for a warm-up match against Curacao.
Rangers have also spoken with the midfielder And Neil’s Reps, the 24-year-old is out of contract at Sunderland this summer.
The Ibrox side were keen to sign the player in January who joined Ipswich on loan and he is back on Rohl’s radar.
Dan Neil joined Ipswich on loan in January despite interest from Rangers
However, there is interest from clubs in the Premier League and English Championship and the player is believed to be considering his options.
of Motherwell In-demand midfielder Eliot watt Also a potential target for Rangers.
However, there have been no talks over a deal with the Fir Park club, who will be looking to keep the 26-year-old at the club after impressing in his 42 appearances last season.
Can Hart fill the gap left by Shankland?
Shankland stayed at Hearts last summer after talks with Derek McInnes
Rangers lose heart for what they gain.
It’s fair to say Shankland was Scotland’s best striker last season. Those goalscoring returns would have been even better had he not missed two months of the campaign with a hamstring injury.
Shankland departed with 88 goals in 171 appearances for the club. Not only that, but he was the leader of the group that many turned to.
Replacing a captain is difficult enough. Bridging the gap of more than 20 goals in a season adds to the challenge facing Hearts head coach Derek McInnes.
For all the power of Jamestown Analytics, and McInnes’ knowledge of the market, Hearts may need to find a few summer additions to step up and replace the man in Tynecastle’s number 9 jersey.
What next?
Already thinking about the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season?
have a World Cup To fit in first – follow the live blog of every game The Sky Sports app – But the original dates are locked for the next term, when Sky Sports Again showing you the best action.
Here’s your summer diary:
June 11: World Cup Begins – Daily fixture list
June 14: Scotland opener vs Haiti (2pm)
June 15: The summer transfer window opens
June 18: Scottish Premiership fixtures released (noon)
July 19: World Cup final
August 1-2: The opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership
September 1: Transfer deadline day (window closes at 11pm UK time)
April 10-11, 2027: The final pre-split Scottish Premiership fixture
May 15-16, 2027: Last day of the Scottish Premiership
