Rangers are said to have ‘paid the required amount’ to sign Lawrence Shankland from Hearts, but BBC Scotland’s Tom English has shed light on why neither club are comfortable discussing the true nature of the fee.
The Light Blues are on the verge of announcing Shankland as their first signing of the summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that paperwork has already been signed.
However, there is still confusion about the transfer fee, with many reports claiming there is a break clause in the 30-year-old’s deal at Hearts that allows him to leave for free this summer.
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Tom English reveals the break clause truth
According to English, people with knowledge of the negotiations are being deliberately vague about what Rangers actually paid Hearts for their captain and top scorer.
The reason, he suggests, centres on a supposed break clause in Shankland’s Hearts contract that allows him to leave Tynecastle for nothing.
English notes that neither club are comfortable publicly discussing that scenario.
It is easy to understand why, as acknowledging the existence of a clause that allowed their most important player to walk out for little or no money would be a deeply uncomfortable admission.
The BBC journalist added that the clubs are deploying carefully chosen phrases, “undisclosed fee” and “Rangers paid the required amount”, for the time being.
They confirm money has changed hands without revealing how much, and crucially without confirming whether that amount reflects anything close to Shankland’s true market value.
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What it means for Rangers
For the Gers, the ambiguity works entirely in their favour.
If the break clause existed and the transfer was free or the fee paid was nominal, they have effectively signed one of the Premiership’s most dangerous strikers at a fraction of his worth.
Andrew Cavenagh’s pro-Scottish recruitment drive has already drawn praise, but landing Shankland for the ‘required amount’, as opposed to a market-rate fee, would represent one of the shrewdest pieces of business seen at Ibrox in years.
The silence from both clubs, as English astutely observes, may speak louder than any official statement.
