Derek McInnes gives major Lawrence Shankland Hearts update and reiterates stance on player

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes is refusing to give up hope of striker Lawrence Shankland signing a new deal with the club despite the two parties being at an impasse - but admits it is becoming “a bit more difficult” to secure his future.

Shankland’s contract at Tynecastle expired last month and he is currently a free agent. Hearts have made an offer which would reportedly make him the highest paid player at the club, but the 29-year-old continues to weigh up his future. There is interest from sides in the English Championship and Saudi Arabia but for now, he remains unattached.

Shankland was pictured last month training in Dubai and did not travel with Hearts to their pre-season camp in the south of Spain. McInnes took over at Tynecastle last month and immediately made it clear that he would like to work with Shankland, who he managed at Aberdeen between 2013 and 2017. Despite not having a stellar 2024/25 campaign, the ex-Kilmarnock boss believes he can get the best out the player, who has netted 68 goals in a 137 appearances across three seasons at Hearts.

Lawrence Shankland's Hearts contract expired last month. | SNS Group

McInnes was unable to shed any further light on negotiations between Shankland and the club, but reiterated his desire to work with him and did not close the door on the Scotland striker returning to Hearts.

“I’ve not got any update, I’m leaving that to the club to try and resolve,” McInnes said from the club’s Spanish base. “The fact he's not with us would suggest that it's been challenging to get the outcome that we want. Me personally, I’m not going to give up on it. It’s not a no. I think we’ve got to keep that door open and we just have to hope that it can be resolved. But ultimately, we’re not in a position where we can say categorically one way or the other. And while we still have a chance, we’ll see where it takes us.

“I think I’ve made it clear that Lawrence is a boy I want to work with. As a manager, you set out your targets and you want to work with the players you want to work with. I’m well used to in my career not getting everything that I want, but I would love to have the opportunity for Lawrence to be with us this season. And while we still have a chance, we’ll hang on to that.

“I believe the club have put their best foot forward and it's a strong offer. As I said to you guys [the media] last week, it's a strong offer. It's not a 'no' in its entirety because we're not ruling it out, but the fact is he's not here so we can't rule him in - and I wanted him to be ruled in by now. The fact that he isn't here, it's clear as day, would suggest that it's becoming a bit more difficult I think to make that happen.”

Hearts head Coach Derek McInnes during a training session at the Oriam on Tuesday. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Hearts continue to look across the market for other strikers. “We've probably stepped that up, but we were looking at alternatives,” McInnes continued. “You try and cover every eventuality and that's what we've got to continue to do.

“From a football point of view, I've said about how beneficial Lawrence would be for us and how much we're really keen to get him. But as a manager, you don't always get what you want and you sometimes just have to accept that. I think that while it's not a 'no' we've got to try and still live in hope, but I do think as the days go by it's becoming a bit more challenging with the fact he's not here already.”

Hearts’ transfer business so far

Hearts have pre-season friendlies against St Mirren and Crawley Town over in Spain ahead of their Premier Sports Cup campaign getting under way on Saturday, July 12 when they welcome Dunfermline Athletic to Tynecastle.

McInnes has been active in the transfer market since taking over at Hearts, bringing in right-back Christian Borchgrevnik, centre-half Stuart Findlay, defensive midfielder Oisin McEntee, winger Alexandros Kyziridis and forward Claudio Braga. They have also agreed a pre-contract deal with winger Islam Chesnokov and continue to negotiate with his current club FC Tobol in Kazakhstan over a fee to sign him now rather than wait until January.