Last month, former Rangers player Derek Ferguson stated that he would welcome the opportunity to see if Lyall Cameron could make the jump from Dundee to Ibrox.
So, while Barry Ferguson was ‘delighted’ to see Rangers sign the Scotland Under-21 international on a pre-contract deal on deadline day, one imagines his namesake would have responded similarly as Nils Koppen successfully fended off late interest from Aberdeen.
Lyall Cameron will be Rangers’ first signing during the next summer transfer window.
But, with another of the Premiership’s most high-profile homegrown players set to become a free agent, Derek Ferguson can’t escape the feeling that Lawrence Shankland will wind up at Ibrox as well.
While speculation about the Hearts captain’s potential move to Rangers has died down – Koppen chose to sign the more long-term option in Hamza Igamane last summer – the uncertainty surrounding Cyriel Dessers’ long-term future, combined with Danilo’s ongoing injury issues, could pave the way for a second out-of-contract player to move from one Scottish top-flight club to another.
Derek Ferguson announces Lawrence Shankland’s Rangers prediction.
“I’ve got a sneaky wee feeling [Rangers’ interest in Shankland is not dead],” Ferguson tells me. “I like Shankland.” Dessers is who he is; you never know what to expect.
“I’d take Shankland in a minute. You’re going to get the Hearts captain at Rangers, hee-haw. Absolutely [I would sign Shankland].
Shankland has struggled in the 2024/25 season after winning both the Golden Boot and the SPFA Player of the Year award the previous season.
The former Dundee United striker has scored just four goals in 28 games in all competitions. In comparison, he scored 31 goals during the previous season.
Former Rangers winger Neil McCann believes Shankland is suffering from a lack of confidence. However, with Hearts struggling as a team, the veteran centre-forward may be more of a symptom than the cause of the problem.
“Everybody is just pointing towards [my lack of] goals, which is obviously normal coming off the back of two really successful seasons that I had and scored so many,” Shankland said at the time.
“I’m competing with myself in terms of how many goals I score, which is both good and bad. Personally, I know that if I improve my game to the point where I feel like I’m playing well, the goals will eventually come back.
“I’ve been here before in my career; I got through it and am sitting here now. I will endure it and going ahead hopefully the goals will start coming again.”
Pundits divided as Kris Boyd predicts Shankland to stay at Hearts.
The classic notion, of course, is that players thrive when surrounded by more talented teammates. With Nedim Bajrami, Ianis Hagi, James Tavernier, and Jefte providing the ammunition, and Lyall Cameron posting some of the division’s top ‘anticipated assists’ figures, Shankland’s gun barrel will rarely be empty if he does switch from Tynecastle to Ibrox.
Meanwhile, the Scotland international stated in the same interview a few months ago that he plans to quit Hearts when his contract expires.
While some predict Lawrence Shankland will add 20 goals to Rangers’ total, Ibrox great Kris Boyd is less persuaded.
“He has had a poor season by his standards,” Boyd claims. “Lawrence would be the first to admit it.” The team has suffered, and as a result, so has your key striker.
“He’ll hope to get back fit and score a few goals and I don’t think you can rule out him staying at Hearts.”
