Bullish Lawrence Shankland transfer stance set by Hearts as Rangers warned his valuation is not dropping

Resolute Hearts are adamant Lawrence Shankland's value is not diminishing with one year left on his contract as Rangers keep close tabs on the Jambos standout.

Record Sport revealed on Monday that the Scotland international is back on the Ibrox side's radar as a report states their Premiership rivals value Shankland in the £4-5million price bracket, despite having less than 12 months on his current Tynecastle deal. Philippe Clement is considering a move for the 28-year-old who scored 31 goals in all competitions last season and is set to be key for their looming Europa League qualifier.

And Steven Naismith is acutely aware there will be interest in a player he wants to keep, however, he is in no rush to sell Hearts' talisman despite his contract nearing its end. Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, Naismith said: “At every club in Scotland, every player has a value. It doesn’t always sit with the general rule of thumb, where a player’s contract is running down so they have lost a lot of value in terms of what the club could receive. Scotland is slightly different because of the finances in general in Scottish football. On top of that, the financial rewards of getting into Europe are so great that, if you have an asset who is going to help you do that, then that adds value. That’s simply it. For us, there is no change at all from where it was last summer or from where it was in January.”

And Naismith has provided an update on several of his international stars as they gear up for their season opener against Rangers on Saturday, August 3. He added: “Shanks has been fine. He’s been training no problem. Him and Kenneth [Vargas], and even Gerald [Taylor], have only had a couple of weeks off after international duty. You