Glasgow Rangers only have a couple of weeks left to prepare for their first game of the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season, which kicks off next month.
The Ibrox giants are looking to end a run of three years without a title to show for their efforts in the top-flight, as their rivals have won the last three trophies.
Philippe Clement and head of recruitment Nils Koppen have put in plenty of work during the summer transfer window so far in an attempt to build a squad at Rangers that is ready to compete.
Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Kemar Roofe, and Borna Barisic were all allowed to depart as free agents at the end of May, when their contracts in Glasgow came to an end.
The Gers have also moved to bring in a host of new signings. Hamza Igamane, Jefte, Oscar Cortes, Mohammed Diomande, Clinton Nsiala, Liam Kelly, and Connor Barron have all come through the door to bolster the manager's options across the park.
However, Rangers do not appear to be done there, yet, in the transfer window as they are reportedly eyeing up a star from the Premiership before the deadline passes at the end of next month.
Rangers interested in Premiership marksman
According to the Daily Record, the Scottish giants have reignited their interest in Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland as they look to improve their attacking options.
The report claims that the Gers did consider a swoop to sign the Scotland international in the January transfer window earlier this year, only for Clement to put a stop to it.
It states that the Belgian boss has now changed his mind on the situation and is interested in a deal to snap up the impressive centre-forward this summer.
The outlet adds that Clement is now considering a bid to sign the Hearts star to see if it is possible to tempt him away from Tynecastle over the coming weeks.
Daily Record also reveals that it could take a bid of around £3m to convince the Jam Tarts to part ways with Shankland, despite him now being in the final 12 months of his contract.
He could speak with teams to agree a pre-contract deal from January onwards but that does not seem likely to stop Hearts from demanding a sizeable fee for his services.
If Clement and Rangers can get a deal over the line for Shankland before the end of the window then they could land a dream partner for new signing Igamane, as he would have the perfect role model at Ibrox.
Hamza Igamane's Rangers potential
The Gers swooped to sign the young forward from Moroccan outfit FAR Rabat on a permanent move earlier this summer and he comes in as a prospect with potential.
Igamane is only 21 and has yet to play a competitive game, at club level, outside of his home country in Morocco, which means that it could take some time for him to adapt to Scottish football and supporters should not expect him to hit the ground running as a star for the Gers.
He has spent the majority of his career so far as a centre-forward but, due to the reasons outlined, it may be too much to ask him to come in and immediately lead the line for the Light Blues.
Igamane has also operated on the wings at time and his form from the 2023/24 campaign suggests that he has the attributes to potentially be successful on the right flank for Rangers.
Appearances
20
Sofascore rating
7.36
Goals
7
Assists
3
Dribbles completed per game
1.9
Dribble success rate
64%
As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old ace is not currently the most prolific forward but is excellent when it comes to dribbling past opposition players, completing a high percentage of his attempted dribbles and completing more than one per game on average.
This suggests that Igamane could be suited to a right-wing position for the Gers as he could use his speed and dribbling ability to burst past defenders to then score for himself or create chances for his teammates in the final third.
Why Shankland would be perfect for Igamane
Firstly, Shankland could benefit from the young forward's creative and direct play down the flank as it could result in him having plenty of chnaces to find the back of the net.
Secondly, the Scottish marksman is a proven Premiership performer who could act as a mentor for Igamane over the years to come, to mould him into his own successor for the future.
Shankland would not come in with much to prove in the Scottish top-flight due to his return of 55 goals and 14 assists in 120 appearances in the division.
Appearances
37
Goals
24
Big chances missed
9
Assists
4
Big chances created
6
Key passes per game
1.4
As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old star is coming off the back of an outstanding season in the Premiership, in which he scored an incredible 24 goals in 37 outings.
This shows that the Hearts skipper knows exactly what it takes to be a consistent goalscorer at that level and that he has the quality to do it, with only nine 'big chances' missed to go along with his 24 strikes.
These statistics indicate that Shankland would come in as a lethal centre-forward for Rangers who could hit the ground running due to his proven Premiership quality.
The experienced Scotsman, who was once hailed as "clinical" by journalist Euan Robertson, could be the perfect mentor for Igamane due to his knowledge of Scottish football and his evident finishing quality.
The Morocco U23 international could learn from playing and training alongside Shankland over the years to come, whilst also potentially striking up a working relationship with him on the pitch as a winger.
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It is now down to Clement and Rangers to get a deal over the line for the Hearts captain before the window slams shut to immediately improve the team and set Igamane on a path to being a future star.
