Barry Ferguson believes Rangers would be missing a trick if Kevin Nisbet and Lawrence Shankland are not on his radar.
The Light Blues have history of buying Scottish strikers through the years with the likes of Billy Dodds, Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd and Steven Naismith all proving to be successful signings from on their own doorstep. Hearts stand-in skipper Shankland has been a revelation in the capital with 19 goals this season to date while Nisbet has returned from a long-term injury to net five goals in his last two outings as he looks to be getting back to his best.
Michael Beale has started the process of bringing transfer recruits to Ibrox as he looks set to tie up a deal for Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell. Others are likely to follow him in the door as the new boss looks to put his stamp on his new side. One area of the park that the Rangers hero believes needs addressing is the striking department with Alfredo Morelos out of contract out in the summer and Kemar Roofe and Antonio Colak struggling with injuries of late. It's a key position and one that Ferguson wouldn't be surprised if he is eyeing up with talent from his Premiership rivals.
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Speaking in the Daily Record, he said: "It wouldn’t surprise me, for example, if he is taking a very close look at Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet and considering making a move for one or both of them in the coming days. I realise the fans of Hearts and Hibs won’t want to hear it and please believe me when I say I’m not being disrespectful to their clubs.
"But I honestly can’t imagine any reason why Beale wouldn’t be looking at the pair of them when they are performing to such high levels on his own doorstep.
"Rangers have made a habit of buying good Scottish strikers down the years. Guys like Billy Dodds, Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd and Steven Naismith are proof that you don’t need to trawl the world or spend tens of millions to find reliable, prolific goal scorers. I look at Shankland and Nisbet and I see two young guys who would both be more than capable of making the same step up.
"I also look at the likes of my nephew Lewis, Calvin Ramsay, Josh Doig and Aaron Hickey as recent examples of talented young Scottish players who have been allowed to slip through the net. Rangers missed the boat with all of these guys and probably couldn’t afford to sign any of them now.
"So, with Alfredo Morelos coming to the end of his contract and Kemar Roofe back on the treatment table for who knows how long, if the names of Shankland and Nisbet are not somewhere on Beale’s desk this winter then the new manager will be guilty of missing a trick. And, given how smart he’s been so far, I find that highly unlikely."
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