Rangers and Celtic ready to bid for the Premiership’s new Shankland

If Celtic and Glasgow Rangers are to fall short in this season’s Premiership title race, the Old Firm pairing may well look to their centre-forward ranks as a key source of blame.

At Parkhead, the Hoops are still waiting to find a genuine replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi, with Johnny Kenny the joint-highest scoring striker at the club in the league (six), despite having left on loan in January.

As for those at Ibrox, it’s been a tale of inconsistency for both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti, despite scoring 18 Premiership goals between them, with Chermiti notably ranking second in the division with regard to ‘big chances’ missed.

League leaders Hearts are instead being powered by Claudio Braga and Lawrence Shankland, the pair on 14 and 13, respectively, with the latter having long been linked with a move to Glasgow.

At 30, that chance may well now have come and gone, although the Premiership’s latest sensation could make the switch instead.

Celtic and Rangers set to battle it out for Premiership star

The search for a striker is still on in Glasgow, but it’s not for the want of trying, with Rangers having splashed the cash on a trio of centre-forwards, Ryan Naderi arriving on deadline day to add to the prior captures of Chermiti and Miovski.

As for Celtic, a spate of forwards have all underwhelmed in 2025/26, with Shin Yamada swiftly moved out on loan, Callum Osmand hampered by injury and Junior Adamu yet to score a single league goal.

Tomas Cvancara has scored only twice in the Premiership, while Kelechi Iheanacho has battled for fitness, scoring only six league goals himself all season.

Both the Gers and the Parkhead side appear to want better, with Football Insider reporting that they are set to battle it out for Motherwell talisman, Tawanda Maswanhise.

As per the report, the Old Firm pair said to be in the race for the 23-year-old’s signature, with ‘bids expected’ this summer following his remarkable goalscoring form at Fir Park.

There could well be something of a ‘bidding war’ involving the Zimbabwean, however, with clubs in the EFL Championship also likely to show an interest.

Why Maswanhise could be the new Shankland

For an extended while, Shankland had been the cream of the crop with regard to Premiership strikers, deservedly linked with a Glasgow move after delivering the goods time and again in Edinburgh.

The Scotland international notably led the way in 2023/24 with 27 goals in the top-flight, having also finished third in the rankings a year earlier, after hitting 24 goals in 2022/23.

He’s certainly still a force in the present day, helping to spearhead Hearts’ remarkable title push, although he has been usurped by Maswanhise as the division’s most feared marksman.

Having signed from Leicester City back in 2024, the in-demand forward has built on a promising first in Scottish football by enjoying a real explosion this time around, emerging as the star attraction in a lauded Motherwell side.

Under the guidance of Jens Askou, the free-scoring speedster has surged to the top of the scoring charts with 17 league goals thus far, proving the real breakthrough figure in what has been a thrilling Premiership season all-round.

In all competitions too, his tally stands at 22 goals, having now hit 28 in his first 75 games in Scotland – a strong return for a player who had made just a solitary senior appearance back at Leicester.

Tipped to be available for a fee of around £5m, there is a sense that Maswanhise is now ready for the next step, particularly with just over a year to run on his existing deal.

There might be concerns over his record against the division’s elite, having scored just once to date against either Celtic or Rangers, but as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them.

In Shankland’s case, he’s proven his quality over an extended period now, although he might well have missed the boat when it comes to making a marquee move.

Maswanhise might well be keen to avoid a repeat scenario, with the race now on to see if Celtic or Rangers can get to the front of the queue this summer.

Regardless of whether or not Hearts do win the title, the Old Firm rivals are in real need of further firepower heading into 2026/27.