Rangers and Celtic both watching Oscar Zambrano as ‘new Moises Caicedo’ in advanced transfer talks
Rangers and Celtic are watching Ecuadorian star Oscar Zambrano but appear set to miss out on the midfielder this January, according to Graeme Bailey.
The journalist reported via HITC on Friday (5 January) that both Old Firm sides have kept an eye on the 19-year-old midfielder, but Bournemouth have now moved into pole position to secure his services in the January transfer window.
Andoni Iralo’s side are in advanced talks with the Ecuadorian gem who HITC wrote has previously been labelled the “new Moises Caicedo”, with both Wolves and Brighton being credited with an interest, while his performances have caught the eye of the Gers and Celtic.
Zambrano is set to cost the Cherries around £5.5million this January after Luton Town were confirmed to have a bid of around £3million rejected by LDU Quito recently.
Unfortunate to miss out
Rangers do need midfield reinforcements this January as Philippe Clement has been reliant on the form and fitness of John Lundstram and Dujon Sterling in recent weeks while Ryan Jack and Nicolas Raskin have spent time on the treatment table.
Zambrano would have been a bit of a gamble for the Light Blues however as he is still a bit of an unknown quality having never played outside of South America in his career. He may be highly rated, but that doesn’t always translate to talent at first-team level.
To win the Scottish Premiership title this season, Clement needs players who are going to arrive in Glasgow and immediately hit the ground running. While Zambrano reportedly has plenty of talent, he may not have been a signing to have an immediate impact.
Rangers will have to quickly dust themselves down as they appear to have missed out on the 19-year-old this January. The Gers still need plenty of additions before the end of the month and they have to act quickly to ensure that they don’t miss out on any more targets.
In other Rangers news, Barry Anderson has mooted a potential “attractive” option for Lawrence Shankland as links continue with Ibrox