Steven Naismith has confirmed Hearts are in talks with Lawrence Shankland regarding the potential signing of a new contract.
The 28-year-old is a scoring sensation and already has 18 goals in all competitions for the Jambos this season. Shankland has perennially been linked with Rangers and transfer speculation has ramped up significantly this January window.
Pundits across Scotland such as ex-Ibrox skipper Barry Ferguson and former Dundee boss Jim Duffy have been touting the move for some time now, but it remains to be known if Rangers hold concrete interest in signing Shankland.
He is out of contract in the summer of 2025 and now, it seems Hearts are doing all they can to ward off any transfer interest in their striker by opening dialogue over a new Tynecastle deal.
Jambos boss and former Rangers forward Steven Naismith has been speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News amid the Scottish Premiership winter break and provided a significant update on Shankland’s current situation.
Lawrence Shankland Hearts talks commence
Here’s what Naismith had to say regarding Shankland: “The club have started speaking to him at the moment and we will see where that goes. The club value him as somebody who is really important.
“There are quite a few players in the squad who I can see being here for a longer period of time, building for themselves personally and helping us progress as a club. Shanks is one of those people.
“I would say that what he has done over the last two seasons has pushed him into legendary status at the club, rather than simply being a really good signing.
“It’s clear for everybody to see that he is a big part of it for us. He’s got 18 months left on his contract and he is at an age where the decisions he makes are really important.
“There is speculation all the time and he needs to deal with that. He needs to work out what he really wants and that’s where it lies.
“As long as Shanks is at the club, everybody should appreciate him and enjoy what he does for us. He loves it and you can see he enjoys it. He is a leader and he is scoring goals.
“If that stops this month, or it stops in the summer, or it stops next summer, that’s football. On the flip side, if he signs and he stays for a long time, he becomes a real top-level club legend who hopefully breaks lots of records which are within his grasp. That’s realistically where we sit with it all.
“There will be a discussion and eventually it will get to an end point where a deal will get done or it won’t get done. That is simply it.”
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