Lawrence Shankland sticks with Hearts
However, after becoming a free agent this summer and exploring his options, Shankland has been persuaded by recently-installed manager Derek McInnes to accept an offer to become the club's highest-paid player.
Wonder what the boys had for breakfast this morning? 🤔
🤝 @loveholidays // #loveholidays pic.twitter.com/noG4KlisLW
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) July 3, 2025
The striker flew out to Spain on Wednesday evening to meet up with the Hearts squad at their pre-season training base and the Jambos announced on Thursday afternoon that he has agreed a deal until 2028, bringing to an end a long-running contract saga.
'Lawrence's not only been ingrained in the club the last few years, he's been a big player for the club, knows his way about the Premiership, knows his way to goal,' McInnes told the Hearts website.
'It just made so much sense on so many levels for me. I've known Lawrence since he was a young boy and I know how important family is to him and how important being happy is.
'I always felt that that was a huge advantage for us. Not only does he enjoy his time at Hearts, those family connections are always very strong.'
Shankland marked his first campaign at the club by becoming the first Hearts player in 31 years to score more than 20 goals in a season and then netted 31 goals in 2023-24 to earn himself every Scottish Premiership Player of the Year award available and secure a place in the Scotland squad for Euro 2024.
He's back.
Lawrence Shankland has agreed a three-year contract with Heart of Midlothian
🤝 @loveholidays // #loveholidays
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) July 3, 2025
The former Ayr and Dundee United forward's most recent campaign was more of a struggle in front of goal and he incurred the wrath of some fans after a costly Conference League penalty miss away to Cercle Brugge in November, although he did notch five times in his final five appearances to leave supporters clinging to the hope that he might decide to remain at Tynecastle.
The retention of their most prolific forward of the 21st century represents a significant coup at a time when Hearts are embarking on an exciting new era in partnership with Jamestown Analytics and with Brighton owner Tony Bloom on board as a minority investor.
'I do feel that having that recognised number no.9, a goal scorer with a real pedigree, Scotland internationalist, the motivation for Lawrence to do well here at not only a club that he loves, a club that he's happy with,' added McInnes.
'You see the way he's embraced his team-mates this morning. He's a really popular boy, but he's got so much to do here. In my time at Hearts, I want to make sure it's successful and I want Lawrence to feel exactly the same and he does.
'We want to be lifting silverware. We want to be going into group stages in Europe and we want to have a consistent thing going here and that is the driver for all of us. I do feel that having Lawrence in the building gives us a better chance of achieving all that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
27 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Huddersfield Town 'working' on deal to sign ex Hearts and Rangers prospect
A former Hearts midfielder is reportedly a target for English League One club Huddersfield Town. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Huddersfield Town are reportedly ready to make a move for a former Hearts and Rangers academy product. A report from Football Insider has claimed the Terriers are preparing several 'ambitious' moves during the summer transfer window as American owner Kevin Nagle looks to push the club towards promotion into the Championship after they could only claim a mid-table finish in their first season back in the third tier of the English game. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The likes of former Sunderland star Lynden Gooch, Millwall defender Murray Wallace and Preston North End midfielder Ryan Ledson have already been snapped up and a move for former Hearts academy star Marc Leonard is reportedly next on the agenda. Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke has already revealed Millwall are 'prepared to sanction' Leonard's departure during the summer transfer window after he struggled to command a regular place in the Lions starting lineup last season. The former Scotland Under-21 international is said to be a target for 'several Championship and MLS sides - but Huddersfield have now 'joined the chase' as they look to boost Lee Grant's squad and establish themselves as one of the favourites for promotion into the Championship this season. What has Marc Leonard said about his time at Birmingham City? Kristian Sekularac (L) is being linked with a move to Wigan Athletic. There is competition from other teams in League One. | Getty Images Speaking midway through last season as he struggled to make an impact with the Blues, Leonard told Birmingham Live: 'I did [realise] because I realised that the level of the club and how big the club is and I won't shy away from anything. I think I train every day as hard as I possibly can and when I come on, I want to make as much impact as I can, or if I'm starting I want to do the exact same. I think the boys who have been playing have been unbelievable so far, and it's been difficult and it's been frustrating but you just have to get on with it, that's football and I'm definitely not going to shy away from anything. 'Competition for places is massive, it's a squad with heaps of quality. I mean, if you could watch the training sessions, it's incredible how good the sessions are. Even when the boys are on recovery, the boys that haven't played it's a really good standard and we've got such a big squad – and such a big squad full of quality players. The boys that don't play are so supportive, and it's a group of boys who are all supporting one another because sometimes it can be difficult if you're not playing and maybe you have been playing before, but totally we're all in the same lines, and we all want to be reach the same goal. So it's It's been really good.'
Scottish Sun
27 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Major Michel-Ange Balikwisha to Celtic update as agent speaks out on potential transfer deal and reveals player's stance
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MICHEL-ANGE BALIKWISHA has been a constant name in the Celtic transfer circles for much of the past year. But it looks like the Hoops might be no closer to landing the winger. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 Michel-Ange Balikwisha has been consistently linked with a move to Celtic Credit: AFP 3 Brendan Rodgers will want to add attacking reinforcements this summer Credit: Getty Celtic are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer, and the wide areas are likely to be a priority. Nicolas Kuhn has left Parkhead to join Como while big January signing Jota is out injured until next year. Celtic's link to Antwerp attacker Balikwisha just hasn't gone away. Fuel was added to the fire last week too when the 24-year old sat out training with the Belgian club. He has, however, gone on to feature in their pre-season matches. Earlier this month, reports out of the country suggested that the Hoops were getting close to an agreement with Antwerp for Balikwisha. However, that might not be the case after all. Balikwisha's agent has claimed the player would be interested in a move to Celtic. But he says that there are NO conversations between the clubs regarding the player. Agent Jibril Rekkab told the Daily Record: "Michel-Ange is not closed to the idea of joining Celtic, but the club would still have to come forward. Inside ex-Celtic and Scotland star's £3m property empire as free agent spends almost £1m on two properties in St Andrews "No discussions are underway." Over the weekend, Antwerp boss Stefan Wils admitted Balikwisha could be sold. Celtic bid farewell to yet another winger at the beginning of this week. Luis Palma sealed a loan move to Polish champions Lech Poznan on Monday. The Honduras international was largely frozen out under Brendan Rodgers last season and spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Olympiacos. But the Greek giants neglected to sign the 25-year old permanently and he'll now be playing his football in Poland instead. Palma could be thrust straight into the action tonight when Lech Poznan take on Icelandic champions Breidablik in a Champions League qualifier. 3 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Celtic hit the button on Michel Ange Balikwisha transfer as signing chase reaches climax
Antwerp have been holding out but now the Premiership champions are primed to push for the winger they covet most Celtic are set to up the ante to try to finally seal a move for Michel-Ange Balikwisha. The Hoops have been in talks with club officials at Royal Antwerp to land the winger over multiple weeks. Antwerp boss Stef Wils admitted publicly at the weekend that his star man wanted to make the move to the Premiership champions. The issue is that Celtic's offers so far have been below the Belgian side's valuation but the Hoops are hoping that a deal can be struck somewhere in between and are pushing for the outcome. They also know Balikwisha is in the last year of his contract and if they don't sell in this window they his value will plummet. Celtic have been keen on the 24-year-old for more than a year and were ready to move before he suffered his last injury. Celtic have already sold Nicolas Kuhn to Italian side for more than £17 million to further boost the club's coffers. Balikwisha operates primarily on the left wing and his signing would be a statement of intent days after Brendan Rodgers appealed for added firepower in the final third with Jota missing until 2026. Balikwisha's agent Jibril Rekkab – speaking exclusively to Record Sport – was keen to play it cool. However, we understand Celtic are primed to strike. Rekkab said: "Michel-Ange is not closed to the idea of joining Celtic, but the club would still have to come forward. No discussions are underway." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
