The summer transfer window officially opened for business on Friday and Glasgow Rangers have already been hard at work to improve their playing squad.
Head of recruitment Nils Koppen has brought in Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens, Jefte from Fluminense on a permanent deal, and Clinton Nsiala is set to arrive at Ibrox from AC Milan at the start of next month after his contract with the Italian giants expires.
The Light Blues are also reportedly in pole position to sign winger Yusuf Kabadayi from Bayern Munich on a permanent deal to add to their collection of new recruits.
They have strengthened their defensive options with Nsiala and Jefte and look set to add to the wide areas with Cortes and Kabadayi, but they could also add more firepower by bringing in a new centre-forward.
Cyriel Dessers was the main number nine for Rangers during the 2023/24 campaign and the former Cremonese attacker failed to make the most of the chances that were created for him.
His 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership came from an xG tally of 21.59, an underperformance of 5.59, and no other player in the Gers squad underperformed their xG by more than the 29-year-old dud.
Koppen could, therefore, dip into the market to land a more clinical forward for Philippe Clement to work with, and he already reportedly has at least a couple of names on his list.
Rangers targeting SPFL marksman
According to Football Insider, the Light Blues are eyeing up Hearts centre-forward Lawrence Shankland for a possible move to Ibrox this summer.
The report claims that the Scotland international, who came on as a substitute for his country against Germany in the opening game of the European Championship on Friday, is a target for Clement and Koppen.
It states that the Premiership team would struggle to turn down a 'big' offer for his services, although it stops short of revealing what sort of figure would represent a big bid, as he has one year left to run on his current contract.
Football Insider adds that Rangers are also interested in signing Rapid Bucharest marksman Albion Rrahmani in a deal that could be worth up to £5m.
However, it does not reveal whether or not the Scottish giants would like to sign the Kosovo international as well as the Hearts skipper this summer.
The outlet does, though, state that Shankland would be up for a move to Ibrox if the two clubs can thrash out an agreement, which suggests that personal terms would not be an issue as the player is keen to make the switch to Glasgow.
If Koppen does decide to go ahead with a deal, the Scottish ace could come in and be lethal alongside Todd Cantwell at the top end of the pitch for the club next term.
Why Todd Cantwell is a striker's dream
The former Norwich City star is a dream attacking midfielder for a centre-forward because of his busy style of play, which sees him constantly buzzing about the field to link up play and create chances.
He averaged 51.6 touches per game in the Premiership this season, compared to Tom Lawrence's 35.3 per match as his alternative in the ten role, which illustrates how often the English whiz looked to get on the ball to make things happen.
This means that the lone striker for Rangers is rarely left isolated as Cantwell is always around them to provide a link between the midfield/wide players and the number nine.
The 26-year-old wizard also has the quality to be lethal in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals to form an exciting partnership with whichever forward is picked to play in front of him.
Starts
24
Goals
7
Assists
5
Big chances created
7
Key passes per game
1.7
Pass accuracy
84%
As you can see in the table above, the former Premier League ace produced 12 direct goal contributions in 24 starts – one every other start on average.
The fact he only registered five assists from seven 'big chances' created and 51 key passes, though, suggests that the Light Blues need a better finisher up front to make the most of Cantwell's creativity, and that is what they could get by signing Shankland this summer.
Why Lawrence Shankland would thrive with Todd Cantwell
Firstly, the Hearts star is a proven Premiership performer who would be able to hit the ground running at Ibrox due to his experience in the division.
The Glasgow-born centre-forward has played over 100 matches in the Scottish top-flight in his career, which means that he would not need time to adapt to the quality and physicality of the league – unlike an addition from a foreign division with no prior experience in Scotland may need.
Shankland's ability in front of goal on the pitch is another reason why he could be a lethal striker to play in front of Cantwell for the Gers next season.
The 28-year-old star, whose campaign was hailed as "remarkable" by journalist Josh Bunting, showcased his quality week-in-week-out in the Premiership.
He racked up a staggering 31 goals and eight assists in all competitions for the Scottish side, including three goals in four Europa Conference League qualifiers, and the majority of those goal contributions came in the top-flight.
Appearances
37
Goals
24
Minutes per goal
136
Big chances missed
9
Big chances created
6
He was crowned PFA Scotland Player of the Year thanks to the statistics above, as he consistently found the back of the net for Steven Naismith's side.
The Scottish marksman scored 24 goals from an xG tally of just 18.36, an overperformance of 5.64, and this shows that he was far more efficient with the chances that came his way than the aforementioned Dessers.
Bad news for Dessers: Rangers plotting bid for Scotland international
The Light Blues are reportedly interested in signing the Scottish centre-forward.
ByDan Emery
Shankland has the quality to outperform his expected goals return, whereas the Nigerian forward spurned far too many opportunities, and that is why he could be a phenomenal addition to the team to finally make the most of Cantwell's creativity at the top end of the pitch next season.
