Lawrence Shankland contract talks are Hearts top priority for Derek McInnes as charm offensive launched.
McInnes will also meet with the 29-year-old’s counsel, and the two have a close relationship.
McInnes will also speak with Shankland’s advisers as he embarks on a huge charm push to get him to lead his assault next season. The two share a tight friendship, which began during Shankland’s four-year spell at Aberdeen under McInnes. And, while the player failed to get a regular first-team spot at Pittodrie, McInnes intends to construct a new-look Hearts side around their talismanic captain. These discussions will begin as soon as McInnes is installed in the position, with an announcement expected on Monday or Tuesday of next week. The 53-year-old left Kilmarnock on Thursday morning following a 3-0 defeat to Motherwell the previous night.
According to Record Sport, he chose to leave the post rather than face a nasty response from the Rugby Park crowd on Sunday, when Hearts visit Ayrshire for the season’s last top-flight game. However, it is claimed that McInnes has already instructed the Gorgie regime to make maintaining Shankland a key priority, with a new and improved contract offer currently on the table. Shankland turned down an extension last summer, with his agents slamming the offer as ridiculous. He has been free to negotiate a free transfer since January, but has struggled to regain his scorching top form under Critchley and is yet to secure a move to a new team.
It is thought that there is interest in the player in the Far East, but McInnes wants to give him the option of staying in Edinburgh and will sanction a more generous financial package to entice him into a big rethink. Shankland has more than doubled his season tally, scoring five goals in his previous four games, and will look to reach double figures when he leads his side out at Rugby Park on Sunday. McInnes will watch the game from afar before crossing the M8 next week to take on the task of turning around Tynecastle’s underachieving side. And convincing Shankland to stay put for the long run would be a crucial first step.
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