The big money partnership never got the chance to blossom. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE ECHO.
Rangers are preparing for another summer rebuild after completing the signing of Lawrence Shankland, with the striker arriving at his boyhood club from Hearts.
The club are expected to demand £25 million for forward Youssef Chermiti, with a host of clubs registering interest in the prolific striker.
Rangers also have Motherwell’s Elliot Watt and Luke Graham on their radar as they look to reshape their squad ahead of next season.
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles has addressed his future amid links to the Ibrox club, insisting he will not rush into any decision while on international duty.
The 20-year-old is approaching the final 12 months of his contract at Hillsborough and is considered one of the prize assets at the cash-strapped Championship club despite an injury-hit season.
Celtic have confirmed Martin O’Neill will remain in the dugout after he signed a one-year extension following talks with Dermot Desmond, bringing stability to the Parkhead club.
The Hoops are now reportedly targeting Rodez wide man Taïryk Arconte, who helped fire the Ligue 2 club to the brink of French football’s top tier last month.
Hearts are closing in on a six-figure deal for York City defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott, having already signed Calvin Miller from Falkirk, Josh McPake, and MJ Kamson Kamara on free contracts.
French midfielder Tom Renaud is also expected to join Hearts, further bolstering the Jambos’ options ahead of their push for domestic honours next season.
Aberdeen have added centre-back Dan Happe from Leyton Orient, while former St Mirren star Connor Ronan is poised to return to Scotland and join the Dons.
Several Aberdeen players including Topi Keskinen and Nicolas Milanovic could depart this summer, with Keskinen attracting interest from clubs in Denmark.
Coventry City have submitted a club-record £20 million bid for goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, who helped the Sky Blues win the Championship title while on loan from Brighton.
Rushworth had previously been linked with a move to Rangers, but Coventry are now pushing to make his stay at the club a permanent arrangement.
Meanwhile, Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin has spoken warmly about his time in Edinburgh while acknowledging that a major decision on his future awaits after the World Cup.
Devlin, who is out of contract at Tynecastle, said: “It’s hard, because I know I’ve got a massive decision to make. Hearts is such an amazing place. I feel so at home there, so it’s something that I actually don’t know at the moment, and as I said, I’ve got a World Cup to focus on, so that’s my main priority.”
The 28-year-old also opened up on what the club means to him personally, saying: “I think moving to Scotland has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love going to work every day, I’ve met some of my best mates at that club that I’ll be friends with for life.”
At least one MLS offer is on the table for Devlin, but Hearts remain hopeful he will choose to remain in Edinburgh following the conclusion of Australia’s World Cup campaign.
Lawrence Shankland has spoken candidly about the emotional whirlwind of recent weeks, having experienced the despair of Hearts’ last-day title loss at Celtic Park before completing his move to Rangers.
Shankland said: “There’s been a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of weeks. It’s been a bit mad. Right now, I’m just concentrating on being a Scotland player.”
Scotland skipper Andy Robertson has joined Tottenham on a free transfer from Liverpool, adding further intrigue to a summer window already packed with major Scottish football storylines.
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