'Why would they sell him?' Rangers chances of January signing dismissed by former favourite

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday admits he is "90 per cent" certain that Lawrence Shankland will remain a Hearts player by the end of the January transfer window.

The 32-year-old, who signed for fellow Scottish Premiership side Motherwell on loan last week after fallen out of favour at Tynecastle, addressed his former team mate's future on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on Monday night.

Shankland - the Jambos top scorer with 18 goals this season including 13 in the league - has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this month, with strong links to boyhood club Rangers.

However, the Gorgie club have confirmed they have yet to receive an bids from any potential suitors for their talisman and skipper and are determined to retain his services. The Scotland international has just under 18 months left on his current deal and Hearts have already tabled a lucrative contract extension offer, but it's believed Shankland will take his time before deciding where his future lies.

And Halliday seemed pretty confident that the 28-year-old frontman will still be pulling on a maroon jersey come the start of February as he responded to one caller who was adamant Shankland would end up at Ibrox.

"What did Stuart say, 100 percent? I'll say I'm 90 percent sure he'll be a Hearts player by the end of the window," Halliday replied.

Asked by presenter Gordon Duncan if Halliday had some insider knowledge, the ex-Gers fan favourite replied: "No, not at all. Why would Hearts sell him? Hearts can guarantee somewhere between £6-8m if they finish third. They're obviously in a pretty position.

"Roger (Hannah) just said there that no team is more reliant on somebody's goals. If that's the case, why would they sell him for less than the £3-4m that has been reported? If that is the fee, would Rangers pay it? I'm not too sure."