Rangers have big advantage in race to sign £10m star

Glasgow Rangers supporters will be able to enjoy watching Scotland at the World Cup with extra pride this summer because of Lawrence Shankland and Findlay Curtis’ involvement.

The pair scored three goals between them in the 4-1 win over Curaçao recently, shortly after Shankland was officially signed from Hearts on a permanent deal.

Danny Rohl will be hoping that his two attackers will impress at the tournament and return to Ibrox full of confidence to hit the ground running at the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

Shankland, of course, scored 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership for the Jam Tarts this season, scoring more than any Rangers player, and looks primed to be a fantastic addition to the squad this summer.

The Scotland international is a proven goalscorer in the Premiership and should, in theory, be a very low risk signing for the Light Blues to bolster their attack.

Rangers have advantage in race to sign Premier League striker

Shankland scored 88 goals in 171 matches for Hearts in all competitions before his move to Ibrox, and will be hoping to put up similar numbers in Glasgow.

The experienced star does turn 31 later this year, though, and the Gers have been linked with a move for a young striker who would be an even better signing for the club.

It was reported last month that Rangers, Middlesbrough, Stoke, and Birmingham are all interested in signing Leeds United centre-forward Joel Piroe, who is said to be available for a fee of up to £10m.

Now, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe, who was the vice-chair at Ibrox until February, has opened the door to transfers between the two clubs ahead of the summer, suggesting the Gers may well have an advantage in the race to sign Piroe.

When asked if there could be deals between the two teams, he said: “Definitely, because we can maybe help influence the players’ opportunity and ability to play.”

Marathe added: “Make sure we know the system fits, make sure we know the medical performance side is good for him, the coach, because we have more knowledge of it all, as opposed to sending a player off and not knowing how it’s [going to look].”

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Celtic’s interest in Piroe in January left Rangers and Leeds confused, due to their ownership connections, and that the Suriname international could be on his way out of Elland Road this summer.

Why Joel Piroe can be a better signing than Lawrence Shankland

The Light Blues appear to have a big advantage over their rivals, particularly Celtic, because Marathe states that they could ‘influence’ a move to Rangers to give them a chance to play.

Piroe only started two games in the Premier League for Leeds this season, which suggests that he needs to get back to playing football, and a permanent move to Glasgow would give him an opportunity to play regularly.

The Dutch-born centre-forward’s record at Championship level in the four seasons preceding the 2025/26 campaign suggest that he has the potential to be even more prolific than Shankland.

Piroe averaged 18 goals per season across those four years, outperforming his xG in every campaign, whilst Shankland has scored 72 goals across the past four Premiership seasons.

The Scotland international, though, only scored eight goals from 8.21 xG in the 2024/25 campaign in the Premiership for Hearts, and it remains to be seen what version of the striker Rangers will see at Ibrox.

Piroe offered more consistency at Championship level, never dropping below double figures for goals, winning the Golden Boot with 19 goals in the 2024/25 campaign in his last season at that level with Leeds.

The £10m-rated star, who was described as “clinical” by journalist Josh Bunting, may be more likely to deliver consistently in front of goal as a finisher, given his exemplary record for Leeds and Swansea in the Championship in recent seasons.

He is also four years younger than Shankland and could, in theory, have four more seasons worth of goals to offer to the Light Blues than the former Hearts captain.

That could mean, based on his goal average in the Championship, an extra 72 league goals as a Rangers player, if he remains as consistent as he has been in the second tier in England and Piroe and Shankland have similar career lengths.

Therefore, the Leeds centre-forward could be an even better signing than Shankland due to his age, clinical finishing, and consistent goalscoring record, which is why the link between Rangers and Leeds could help the club to secure a brilliant signing.