Former teammate tips Rangers linked striker for incredible Celtic switch

A former team mate of Hearts' Lawrence Shankland has tipped the in-demand striker to make a sensational move to Scottish champions Celtic.

The Jambos marksman has been strongly linked with a move to Old Firm rivals Rangers throughout the January window after a goal-laden first half of the campaign but former St Mirren teammate Stephen McGinn has admitted he can see value in a move to the green side of Glasgow.

Shankland's Hearts contract expires at the end of the current campaign but has been offered a new deal to stay with the club after scoring 18-goals for the Edinburgh side. However, that improved deal has now reportedly been rejected which has put a number of clubs on high alert and McGinn thinks a move to the Hoops would be the ideal transfer as he takes 'one last step' in his career.

"Celtic need another striker" McGinn told Go Radio recently as they discussed the future of the man he played alongside during the 2016-2017 season at St Mirren.

"Kyogo rubber-stamped his status as the main man in the recent Rangers game. But what they don’t probably have is when Oh comes on with about 20 minutes to go and you are chasing a result, he just doesn’t quite have that knack that Shankland has of nicking that goal. So, I am sure he is spoken about.

“Lawrence Shankland in his career had hit rock bottom, in terms of ability-wise. He had fallen out of the team at St Mirren in his second spell. Didn’t have the best time at Morton. Drops down to Ayr in the third tier of Scottish football and really gets it going again and now he is a Scottish international, who has been linked with Celtic, so it’s probably that one last step for him in his career. That’s what everyone is looking for him to make" added McGinn.