Rangers told to make transfer move for striker they 'should have' signed before amid 1 goal in 17 matches

Rangers have been urged to sign Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland in the upcoming January transfer window by former player Alan Hutton. Philippe Clement has the chance to bolster his ranks this winter ahead of the second-half of the season.

The player’s contract at Tynecastle Park expires in June 2025 meaning he has entered the final 12 months of his deal. His current club risk losing him for free if they don’t cash in on him in a couple of months’ time.

Ex-Rangers man Hutton has said on The Scottish Football Social Club: "They should have done it before. Of course I would still take him. You don't become a bad player overnight. I have always said he's getting in the right areas, he's probably just snatching at things a little bit. He feels that he needs to, as captain, be that guy and it is just not quite happening for him. He is a good player and I would go and get him. In a Rangers team he would score goals."

Shankland, 29, has seen his goals dry up this season so far, with one in 17 matches. He will be hoping to find some form again under new manager Neil Critchley, who was picked as their replacement in the dugout for Steven Naismith.

His teammate Cammy Devlin is adament he will find his shooting boots again and has said: “We know Shanks’ qualities and I thought at Ibrox he was outstanding. The work he does for us as a team goes unnoticed so much like his link-up play. It’s about other players stepping up and taking the pressure off him in terms of goalscoring.

“He’s not always going to be finding the back of the net. I’m sure when he does it will start flowing for him. He’s just one player. There’s 10 others that need to grab it and take the pressure off him because he does so much for us. But at the same time I’m sure when he starts scoring things will change.”

If Rangers were to land Shankland, he would give them more competition and depth up top. He would battle it out with Cyriel Dessers for a place in attack.

The Scotland international, who has 15 caps under his belt, has been on the books of Hearts since 2022. He has since found the net on 60 occasions in 112 games in all competitions but has only scored once in this campaign.

Shankland has also played for the likes of Queen’s Park, Aberdeen, Ayr United, Dundee United and Beerschot. His long-term future with the Jambos is up in the air right now.

He said in April: We had a conversation and all decided we would re-assess it (contract) in the summer. Conversations will probably be had in the summer. I am going into the last year of my contract at Hearts and there's always speculation kicking around at those times. So there will come a time when conversations will need to be had, but for now everything's still running smoothly."