Surprise club hope to land 'new Moises Caicedo' amid Barcelona interest

Cameron Smith

Updated: 9 Oct 2023 07:51 BST
3 min read

Luton Town have sent staff to South America in a bid to win the race to sign talented Ecuadorian midfielder Oscar Zambrano.

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Zambrano is just 19 years old and has been labelled as ‘the new Moises Caicedo’ due to his position on the pitch, style of play and the fact he is also from Ecuador.

Luton chief scout Phil Chapple travelled to Argentina to speak to Zambrano whilst he was on Copa Sudamerica duty recently, according to The Sun, as the Hatters attempt to persuade the midfielder to join the club.

Luton are reportedly hoping to seal a €5.8 million deal for Zambrano and would like to agree a fee with his current club LDU Quito and personal terms as quickly as possible.

Zambrano has played 39 times for LDU Quito’s first-team, scoring one goal and providing one assist, and he has appeared 14 times for Ecuador’s U20 national team. The midfielder is yet to make his senior international debut.

Luton aren’t the only club interested in signing Zambrano, however. In July, Spanish media reported that Barcelona were very keen on the youngster and that he could slot straight into the first-team now following Sergio Busquets’ departure to Inter Miami.

Zambrano is also being pursued in other countries though. An unnamed Portuguese club - believed to be Porto - was reportedly 'bidding hard' for the LDU Quito midfielder in July, while Colorado Rapids, West Ham and Crystal Palace have previously been credited with interest.

Is Zambrano ‘the new Moises Caicedo?’

Zambrano has been compared to his compatriot Caicedo on many occasions and his performances at the U20 World Cup were impressive to say the least. He also had a trial at Ajax in 2022, but he did not join the Eredivisie giants.

As for Caicedo himself, he sealed a summer transfer to Chelsea for an initial €116m during the most recent transfer window.