HEARTS are jetting off to Spain this morning for their pre-season training camp WITHOUT striker Lawrence Shankland.
Jambos boss Derek McInnes had hoped to persuade him to commit to the Tynecastle club in a further round of talks this week.
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And he made it clear he wanted him to join his players on their summer trip.
But Del’s discussions have failed to reach a positive outcome and further doubt over Shankland’s future at Hearts has now grown.
The 29-year-old is out of contract so free to move elsewhere and has options in both England and abroad.
McInnes has been reluctant to put a timescale on when he needs the Scotland striker to make his mind up – but has warned he won’t wait much longer.
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He remains convinced staying put is Shankland’s best option and has made several pleas to the ex-Dundee United and Aberdeen forward in an attempt to secure him for next season.
But with the Jambos players flying to Spain early this morning without Shankland as part of the party, the chances of him signing a new deal appear to be plummeting.
McInnes has already added striker Claudio Braga in this window, with Elton Kabangu’s loan from USG made permanent.
While the door on Shankland is unlikely to be closed completely on the back of his decision to stay put in Scotland, the Jambos are ready to crank up their search for his replacement in the coming days.
The striker was last sighted undergoing some additional pre-pre-season training in Dubai in the company of none other than Rangers captain James Tavernier.
He’s had a busy summer already, after tying the knot with his new wife Nicole at a plush Scottish wedding venue at the end of last month.
He’s also been linked with a move to West Brom in England.
Links between him and Rangers have gone cold recently with a new broom at Ibrox since the Andrew Cavenagh/49ers Enterprises takeover, but the sight of Shankland training with Tavernier made many Gers fans curious enough at least to see if something could still happen on the transfer front.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
