Birmingham City and Sunderland should cause Lawrence Shankland twist in blow to Rangers: View | OneFootball

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is a man in demand thanks to his form for the Edinburgh-based club this season.

The 28-year-old striker joined the Jam Tarts in the summer of 2022, and has been a fantastic addition to Steven Naismith's side, earning himself a recall to the Scottish national team setup in March 2023.

There has been interest in the Scotsman from Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers, whilst there have also been interested parties south of the border with the likes of Sunderland and Birmingham City previously keen on Shankland, according to The Sun, and Football Insider.

The striker sees his deal at Tynecastle expire in the summer of 2025, so he could be available on a cut-price deal this summer, with Hearts potentially keen to cash in on him instead of potentially losing him for nothing the following summer.

Lawrence Shankland would be the perfect signing for Birmingham City and Sunderland

Ultimately, it will be up to Shankland where he chooses to play his football next season, with the prospect of European football with Rangers probably a more attractive move than playing in the Championship, but he may fancy a change of scenery having never played in England before.

In a recent interview with BBC Sport, Shankland said, "On the potential of moves and stuff, for me, a 'big move' is something Hearts can't bring you.

"Whether that's playing in a different country or things like that. There is a lot to consider."

This should give the two Championship clubs some hope of signing Shankland, with the player obviously keen to experience a new football environment.

It's no secret that Sunderland need a new striker in the summer. They recruited strikers such as Luiś Semedo, Eliezer Mayenda, Mason Burstow and Nazariy Rusyn in the summer, but all four have flattered to deceive.

Semedo has failed to find the back of the net, Mayenda is struggling to get a game on loan at Hibernian, Burstow has scored just once, and Rusyn has scored just twice.

Sunderland have prioritised young players who they can sell for more money, but this clearly hasn't worked with their strikers, and a more experienced player like Shankland would be ideal for them.

Birmingham have relied on the goals of Jay Stansfield this season, but as he's only on loan they'll need to replace him in the summer.

The Blues have other strikers, such as Lukas Jutkiewicz, Scott Hogan and Oliver Burke on their books, but all three have struggled for goals this season and are set to depart in the summer when their contracts/loans end at the club.

This means that they need to sign a quality striker, and Shankland would fit that bill perfectly.

Lawrence Shankland's 2023/24 season for Hearts

Shankland has been one of Scottish football's hottest properties this season, and has scored 27 goals in 38 appearances for the club across all competitions this season.

20 of those goals have come in the Scottish Premiership, and he's the league's top scorer by quite some distance.

There's no surprise he's attracted transfer interest, and if a side such as Birmingham City or Sunderland were to sign Shankland it would be a real coup.

According to Fotmob, Shankland has scored 20 league goals from an xG of 13.66, has had 41 shots on target, 509 successful passes, created 36 chances and won 108 duels.

These are very impressive stats, and Shankland is the best striker in Scotland by quite a distance this season.

He turns 29 next month, but this shouldn't put clubs off as he's seemingly in the prime of his career.