Lawrence Shankland completes transfer from Beerschot to Hearts after clubs agree six-figure fee

Hearts have announced the signing of Lawrence Shankland, with the Scotland international signing a three-year deal at Tynecastle.

It comes after the club reached a final agreement with Beerschot on a fee for the striker on Monday night, and Shankland completed a medical in Edinburgh before finalising the move.

The 26-year-old could now make his debut in The Jambos’ friendly at Preston North End on Wednesday evening.

Shankland makes the move after a difficult season in Belgium, where he scored just five goals as Beerschot finished bottom of the First Division and were relegated.

The striker will hope to get his career back on track after being reunited with Hearts manager Robbie Neilson, who signed the striker from Ayr United when he was in charge at Dundee United.

That proved rewarding for both, with Shankland becoming a regular scorer in the Championship and earning a place in the Scotland squad.

The 26-year-old, who began his career at Queen’s Park before moving to Aberdeen and enjoying loan spells at Dunfermline, St Mirren and Morton, signed for Beerschot in August of last year, with Dundee United receiving an undisclosed fee for their striker.

Shankland becomes Hearts’ sixth major signing of the summer as they prepare for group stage football in Europe and look to build on last season’s third-place Premiership finish.

Kye Rowles, Lewis Neilson, Alan Forrest, Alex Cochrane and Jorge Grant have all joined Neilson’s squad and will add to the manager’s options as he aims to hit the ground running when the season starts.