IT’S ALL OR NOTHING
Owner Cameron insists he’d rather lose Shankland for free next summer than risk scuppering Ayr’s Premiership dream
Lachlan Cameron says he would lose Lawrence Shankland for NOTHING if it means Ayr have a shot at the Premiership.
The club owner insists he “won’t be bullied” into selling the goal machine next month.
And he insists vultures circling Ayr’s 26- goal star must pay up or shut up.
I t comes as English Championship side Swansea prepare to test Ayr’s mettle when the January window opens.
But Cameron said: “Let me assure our fans there is no pressure on us to sell.
“We now have a once- in- ageneration chance to go for the top flight and Lawrence is integral to that.”
United, who turned down sixfigure bids from Dundee, Partick and Fylde in the summer, are set for another wave of interest.
And with just five months of Shankland’s Somerset deal to run, big money could prove hard to resist.
But Cameron said: “If this was about cash, I’d be accepting a bid and sticking it straight in the bank.
“But, as a club, we arguably haven’t been in this position for 40 years.
“Listen, we’re not in the business of standing in a player’s way.
“A key attraction of this club is having the ability to develop yourself and perhaps win a bigger move.
“It was a major reason for the creation of our academy.
“So there will be a lot to weigh up from all sides.
“But at the same time, we won’t be bullied into taking some offer that does little for us.
“Does that mean I’d be willing
to lose Lawrence for nothing in the summer? Absolutely.”
Swansea have been linked with a bid that could see Ayr earn up to £ 400,000.
But Cameron confirmed it would take a “very significant” up- front fee to even get his board round the table.
He warned: “We’re not going to be messed around.
“Lawrence has a huge value to this club and is vital to what we’re doing.
“We’ve just gone to Dundee United and beaten them 5- 0. It’s a result some reckon might be our best ever.
“We may not be in a position like this for a long, long time to come.
“Lawrence is also a fantastic boy whose attitude since he came here has been spot on.
“He’s not the type to down tools, so we have no worries on that front.”
And Cameron added:
“I’m a big boy who has been around the block in this game and in life.
“I know how this works so we certainly won’t be taken for fools.”