Glasgow Rangers have shown interest in Scottish striker Lawrence Shankland ahead of the summer transfer window, with Michael Beale looking to bolster his attacking options ahead of 2023/2024.
Following three signings already, with Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling all arriving at Ibrox on free transfers, the Gers are looking at making Hearts striker Shankland number four according to TEAMtalk.
He features highly on Beale's list of targets and with Alfredo Morelos leaving the club, it's clear that they urgently need another goalscorer or two in order to properly challenge Celtic next season for the Premiership title.
The £3k-per-week forward currently has a contract until 2025 with Hearts and although a fee has yet to be mentioned, Beale will need to stump up in order to secure his signature from the Edinburgh side.
Last season, joint top scorers James Tavernier and Antonio Colak netted 18 goals each, hardly a tally to get excited about, especially considering Shankland scored 28 goals across all competitions for the Tynecastle outfit in a stunning individual season, clearly suggesting he would be worth a gamble.
The Gers could certainly repeat their Kris Boyd masterclass from 2006 by signing the 27-year-old. Boyd joined for a fee of just £400k from fellow top flight side Kilmarnock and went on to plunder a total of 145 goals across two spells with the Ibrox side, becoming their main outlet for goals under Walter Smith.
Shankland does offer more than just being a penalty box poacher, creating five big chances and playing one key pass per game during the 2022/2023 season, suggesting Beale could be getting an all-round centre-forward if he manages to land the Scot.
He has vast experience in Scotland, scoring 168 goals across spells with a variety of clubs and this could be a big advantage for the 42-year-old, as Shankland wouldn't require any time to adjust, meaning he could hit the ground running and this could be vital during the early parts of the season.
Journalist Joel Sked waxed lyrical about the five-cap gem late last year, saying: "Lawrence Shankland has been different class for Hearts. So much more to his game than goals. His ability to drop in, act as that focal point and link player, his awareness, and the way he creates space for himself. All so good and so vital."
While Boyd arrived at Ibrox and immediately started scoring for fun, Shankland could also offer a similar result, however, there is a lot more to his game than the former Gers striker and Beale must take a gamble this summer on the Scotland international.