Rangers have been linked with several players in this transfer window but few have been as exciting a prospect as Oscar Zambrano.
The teenage Ecuador international is the next big thing and has already drawn comparisons with Moises Caiceido of Chelsea and £115m transfer fee fame.
A move to the Premier League has been mooted but Rangers, as reported by HITC, are also said to be on the trail of Oscar Zambrano with transfer journalist Dean Jones tipping the move to be something of a coup if Nils Koppen can pull it off.
Rangers could be on to a winner with Oscar Zambrano
Man Utd are the biggest name mentioned but Bournemouth appear to be leading the chase with Luton Town also chancing their luck with a £3m bid.
A fee in the region of £5m, a lot of money for a teenager, is considered to be the going rate.
Work permit rules and regulations mean that Rangers are in a favourable position to sign Oscar Zambrano compared to English teams as Jones rates our chances:
“This would be a sensational transfer if you could persuade someone like this to pick Rangers over some of the clubs that have been linked with him across recent months.
“The signs have been that he would end up in the Premier League. As I understand it, Bournemouth continue to be interested in the player and would be the team probably leading the race to sign him. But that doesn’t mean they win the race. There have to be other considerations as to what will suit him.
“But if Rangers could somehow get involved with that and win the battle by signing him, they would be acquiring an unbelievable player that completely changes the landscape for how they could look to build that team.”
The SFA, for once, have helped Scottish clubs out by making it easier to sign players like Oscar Zambrano, Rangers would only need to prove that he is a recent international and tipped to establish himself for Ecuador to be successful.
For the English system, he doesn’t score enough points because of the league he plays in or how many international appearances he has made recently.
Zambrano, like Caiceido is an out-and-out defensive midfielder, full of energy and with real quality in possession.
The money being talked about is peanuts in the Premier League and it is frustrating to see us struggling to compete with clubs like Bournemouth and Luton purely because of the league that they play in.
Rangers didn’t spend money wisely in the summer, hopefully, players like Oscar Zambrano become the ones that we focus our resources on when we at least have a chance of making our money back if things don’t turn out at Ibrox quite as expected.
Jones is right, this would be a massive coup if Gers boss Philippe Clement can fend off the richest league in the world to land one of South America’s most talented prospects.
