Lawrence Shankland looks set to leave Hearts after talks over a new contract broke down.
Shankland’s deal at Tynecastle had expired at the end of last season but the club had been hopeful of keeping their star striker.
Indeed, given the positive talks between new boss Derek McInnes and the player himself, there was optimism of Shankland extending his stay.
McInnes made no secret of his desire to keep the former PFA Scotland Player of the Year and had held more discussions with the 29-year-old earlier this week.
But Mail Sport understands those talks have now broken down, with Shankland not travelling with Hearts to their pre-season camp in Spain yesterday.
Whilst keen to keep hold of the striker, McInnes made it clear that Hearts couldn’t wait forever in terms of a decision being made.
Lawrence Shankland looks destined to leave Hearts after talks of a new contract broke drown
The Hearts skipper salutes the travelling fans after a league clash at Motherwell in April
Shankland can’t hide his frustration after the Gorgie club lost heavily at Celtic last season
Mail Sport understands the difference between what Shankland wanted and what the board were willing to offer was minimal, but Hearts have been unwilling to budge.
A source close to Shankland said: ‘Lawrence wanted to continue at Hearts but unfortunately the chief executive Andrew McKinlay doesn’t share the same ambitions that he has for the club.’
McKinlay, who publicly admitted making the mistake of appointing doomed previous manager Neil Critchley without meeting him in person, is eager to make amends with new manager McInnes. But it now looks likely that the club will have to move forward and start afresh without their main goalscorer.
It is expected that Hearts and McInnes will now ramp up their search for a new No 9 over the coming weeks.
