No pressure to sell striker – Ayr owner
AYR owner Lachlan Cameron says he is prepared to lose Swansea City and Celtic target Lawrence Shankland for free at the end of the season.
And in further disappointing news for Swansea, Cameron says he won’t be bullied into selling the prolific forward in January.
Swansea have been linked with Shankland for the past few months, with reports north of the border stating that the Liberty side are preparing a £400,000 deal for the 23-year-old.
There had been talk of Swansea signing the Scot then loaning him back to The Honest Men – who are pushing for promotion from the second tier – until the end of the season.
But Cameron told the Ayrshire Post: “Let me assure our fans, there is no pressure on us to sell.
“We now have a once-in-a-generation chance to go for the top flight and Lawrence is integral to that.”
Shankland is out of contract at the end of the campaign and Cameron is well aware that interest will present itself next month.
But he declared emphatically: “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 goal-shy so far this season and with question marks remaining over Wilfried Bony’s long-term future in South Wales, Graham Potter could well be in the market for a goalscorer.
Shankland has scored 26 goals already this season.
Cameron, though, confirmed it would take a big offer for him to even consider doing business.
“We’re not going to be messed around,” he said.
“Lawrence has a huge value to this club.” >