Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland has joined Rangers from Heart of Midlothian, signing a two-year deal at Ibrox with the option of an additional 12 months.

The 30-year-old departs Tynecastle after four seasons in which he scored 88 goals in 171 appearances. This past campaign, he captained Hearts to a second-place finish in the Scottish Premiership, with the Edinburgh club pipped to the title by Celtic on the final day of the season. Rangers finished third, eight points adrift of Hearts.

Shankland had been out of contract at Hearts the previous summer before committing to a fresh three-year deal in late June — a contract he has now departed ahead of schedule.

A prolific season before the switch

In the campaign just completed, Shankland netted 20 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions for Derek McInnes' side, who came closer than any Hearts team since 1960 to claiming the league title. Notably, four of those goals came against Rangers themselves.

Prior to his time at Hearts, the striker represented Queen's Park, Aberdeen, Ayr United, Dundee United, and Belgian club Beerschot during his career.

Scotland squad and World Cup ambitions

On the international stage, Shankland has scored four goals in 18 appearances for Scotland and has been named in the national side's World Cup squad — meaning his move to Rangers comes at a significant moment in his career.