Lawrence Shankland has fired Ayr to the top of the Championship but the leaders are now bracing themselves for life without their goal machine.

With his contract up at the end of the season, the 26-year-old is a January target for a host of clubs.

Swansea are lining up a £400k bid for Shankland next month in an effort to beat twenty clubs in the race to sign the red-hot striker, say reports.

Elsewhere, Brendan Rodgers has leapt to the defence of his Celtic players over Aberdeen's "goading" claims.

Dons boss Derek McInnes and skipper Graeme Shinnie bemoaned Mikael Lustig and Scott Brown's taunting youngster Lewis Ferguson.

Rodgers said he was "disappointed" by the accusations and insisted the Hoops' disciplinary record showed they are good sports.