Top Rangers target drops huge Hearts transfer bombshell as Man Utd star given Celtic transfer pitch

Long-term Rangers target Lawrence Shankland has confirmed that there is virtually no prospect of him extending his contract with Hearts.

The Premiership Golden Boot winner has just seven months remaining on his three-year deal at Tynecastle, two of them record-breaking campaigns for the striker, which have earned him a regular spot in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad at international level.

The 29-year-old’s incredible form over the last two seasons has made him a standout target for Rangers in recent transfer windows, with many experts highlighting the striker area as a weakness in Philippe Clement’s side.

Shankland acts as captain for the Edinburgh based side and has long been viewed as a key part of the club’s future.

However, he has already turned down two contract offers to extend his stay in the capital earlier this year and has admitted to Edinburgh Evening News that he is content with this season being his last in Gorgie.

Speaking ahead of his side’s crucial clash with Celtic, Shankland explained: “Right now, at this moment in time, my contract will be finishing. I won’t have one at Hearts, so that indicates that you move on.

“That's the situation where we're at with the club. That's where we left it. There is no contract on the table. That was an agreement we were happy to leave at that point. Both of us accepted it and moved on. That's where it's been since then.

“Regarding the contract, there's not been any contact [since]. I think right now, as it stands, both the club and myself are comfortable where we're at. In terms of talks, we'll move forward and see how the next couple of months go. But more importantly than that, obviously everybody's been concentrating on trying to improve things on the pitch. Once that's done, I imagine we can worry about things off it.”

Shankland’s side are struggling at the bottom end of the Premiership table but are determined to cause an upset against Celtic this weekend.

“Playing on the big nights, that's why you come to a club like Hearts. That's why you play in all these big games, including Saturday night. Occasions like that at Tynecastle are always the most enjoyable ones. Getting the chance to lead the boys out to these games is obviously great. You never say never in football. Right now, the situation, if you're asking me, that's where it's at.”

Shankland has been one of Scottish football’s most prolific goalscorers with 48 league goals in his last two seasons.

Over the summer, Hearts valued Shankland in the £4m to £5m bracket, which was enough to lure off interest from Rangers and Celtic.

However, this season has been a very different story for Shankland, who has struggled to find the net with just one goal in 13 league appearances.

When asked if he was surprised at the lack of transfer interest over the summer, Shankland hinted at a desire to one day move on to bigger things.

“I don't know if surprised is the right word,” he replied.

“Obviously, when you have the seasons that you have and you've been successful, the rewards of football can sometimes be a move on to bigger things. You can't guarantee that that comes around. I think the biggest thing is that you keep doing what you're doing - keep replicating previous seasons. Of course, right now, we're in a bit more of a difficult moment, personally.

“I've got full belief that I'll get out of this and start scoring goals again. I think it'll be rosy again. I wasn't too worried about it. There are a lot of factors that come into moving on: “Price tags, people, age, where you are in your career. There's a lot of things that people take into consideration if they want to come and get a player. It wasn't something I concerned myself too much about. I had a year left on my contract at Hearts. In my head, at the end of the season, that was where I was going to be returning at pre-season.”

Celtic tipped to move for Man Utd man

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes a move to Celtic is the ‘obvious’ next step for Christian Eriksen at this stage of his career.

Celtic recently added one Danish international to their ranks over the summer in goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and have now been tipped to move for former Champions League finalist Eriksen when his contract at Old Trafford expires.

Parker admits Eriksen’s wages could be a stumbling block but feels Rodgers’ side, particularly in Europe, would benefit greatly from signing one of ‘the best players of the modern era.’

He explained, via SpilXperten: "Eriksen to Celtic makes sense. Brendan Rodgers knows him from the Premier League, and he knows Schmeichel from the national team through many years. Language won't be an issue either, so it seems like an obvious move.

"I still believe Eriksen has the level for more than the Scottish league, but that's no criticism of Celtic. It's a big club, and Eriksen can cap off a fantastic career with a great experience at Celtic, where the entire city revolves around football.

"All eyes will be on him, as he'll be the biggest star in the league. He's one of the best players of the modern era in the Premier League, so he must also be ready for the considerable pressure that comes with that."