If Rangers are on the hunt for homegrown firepower in the shape of Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland, then Hibs’ Kevin Nisbet has just shown why he should be up for consideration.
The Ibrox side are in dire need of more options up top and coupled with a need to fill homegrown UEFA quotas in European competition looking at Scotland isn’t a bad idea.
Whilst we’ve mused over form Aberdeen striker Luis Lopes, the Portuguese attacker doesn’t fill homegrown quotas given he wasn’t trained in Scotland.
Hearts want big money for Lawrence Shankland
Rangers-linked striker Lawrence Shankland and Hibs hero Kevin Nisbet would represent perfectly able and solid additions to an Ibrox squad which has struggled for goals at times this season.
There remains major doubts over the future of Alfredo Morelos, who is out of contract in the summer, whilst the reliability of Kemar Roofe for injury reasons, and Antonio Colak for footballing, remains a hot topic of debate.
As a result, Lawrence Shankland has been the subject of a fresh link to Rangers heading into the summer, with the Scotland international’s 22 goals certainly not to be sniffed at.
But whilst Rangers might fancy a move, the finances involved could scupper a deal with Shankland signing a three-year contract from Belgian side Beerschot in the summer.
It’s led to Hearts sporting director Joe Savage claiming Rangers can’t afford Lawrence Shankland and it appears that if the club want the player they’ll need to stump up.
Hibs Kevin Nisbet a viable alternative
That’s why Kevin Nisbet – about to enter the final year of his Hibs deal – represents a viable alternative for a Rangers side looking to secure more homegrown talent.
Hibs risk pulling a Ryan Porteous and seeing their best player leave for next to nothing if they either don’t secure Kevin Nisbet to a new contract or move him on in the summer.
Like Shankland, Rangers have been relentlessly linked to Kevin Nisbet throughout his career with the striker reportedly the centre of interest during Steven Gerrard’s reign.
Whilst a cruciate ligament injury has devastated the player’s season, Kevin Nisbet came out on top over Lawrence Shankland by scoring the winner in the weekend’s 1-0 Edinburgh Derby win for Hibs – his 10th goal in only 13 Premiership games this season.
If the financial expectations surrounding Rangers’ interest in either player vastly differ, he might be the one to win an Ibrox contract too.
