Lawrence Shankland ticks Rangers transfer boxes as Russell Martin ally baffled by Ibrox reluctance

The Hearts hero is out of contract with the Jambos waiting on an answer and one man reckons Gers should make a move

Steven Naismith has urged Rangers to get a deal done for Max Aarons.

And the former Hearts boss admits he’s surprised the Ibrox club aren’t trying to sign Tynecastle skipper Lawrence Shankland.

Rangers are close to agreeing a deal with Bournemouth over a loan move for right-back Aarons.

Gaffer Russell Martin is keen to bring the 25-year-old - who spent last term at La Liga outfit Valencia - to Glasgow.

Naismith watched Aarons emerge from Norwich City’s academy while he was a player at Carrow Road alongside Martin.

And he’s convinced the defender would immediately challenge Rangers captain James Tavernier for his shirt.

Naismith said: “Max has really good attributes. He's a modern-day full back.

“He's not the tallest but very comfortable on the ball, quick and dynamic - both going forward and defensively.

“But the biggest thing I remember about Max is that his attitude was spot on. As a young player, he was desperate to learn and get better.

“That's why he got into a good Norwich team in the Championship, then into the Premier League - and eventually Barcelona came in for him at one stage.

“That tells you a lot about him. His career has maybe stumbled recently but he's definitely somebody with high potential.

"He would challenge Tavernier. He has good experience and has played at a high level against some top players.

"He'd be a good signing for Rangers. Max is somebody who would raise the quality of the squad.

“He would come in and challenge right away. And that's probably an area that needs to be looked at within the squad.”

Another player Rangers have been linked with in the past is Shankland and few know him better than Naismith.

He was his gaffer at Hearts and rates the 29-year-old striker highly.

He’s out of contract and has offers on the table - but has yet to commit his future to a club.

Naismith accepts that Martin might be looking for a different type of striker in this transfer window. But he has no doubt that Shankland would score goals at Ibrox.

He said: “In one respect, I'm surprised Rangers haven’t gone for him. Because I think Shanks is as safe a bet as you're going to get when it comes to scoring goals in Scotland.

“What goes against him is probably his mobility. But for me, he's a really intelligent player now.

"He's a link between midfield and attack, as well as a goal scorer.

“It would be a free transfer but it's still expensive for Rangers to sign players who are scoring 30 goals a season.

“I’m sure Shanks will have some offers because for two seasons he's been unbelievable.

“Could he play in Russell’s team? I think he could. From the moment I played with Shanks in Scotland to when I was coaching him, it was always about his intelligence.

“Where he picks positions up, he's got a real finesse about his touch. Then he's got that calmness in the final third that makes him different.

“I definitely think he could fit in. He fits a lot of the criteria for Rangers.

“Getting goal scorers who can near enough guarantee you 15-20 goals a season are hard to come by. And at the Old Firm they’re very good to have around."