Transfer Centre

Luton Town 'reignite interest in Oscar Zambrano'

By Carter White | 29 November 2023

Luton Town are back in the race for Oscar Zambrano according to LDU Quito director Esteban Paz, however the Hatters are yet to table a formal bid for the midfielder.

Luton Town have reportedly reignited their interest in LDU Quito midfielder Oscar Zambrano, with the Hatters being one of a number of clubs keen on the player.

The 19-year-old helped his side to Copa Sudamericana glory in 2023 but did not feature in the showpiece match last month, settling for a role as unused substitute in the contest with Brazilian outfit Fortaleza.

Zambrano has been a regular for the Ecuador Under-20s in the past year and played for the team in the Under-20s World Cup in the summer, losing to South Korea in the round of 16.

The midfielder's impressive performances were rewarded with a call-up to La Tri's senior side for the November internationals, however the youngster did not feature against either Venezuela or Chile in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

According to LDU Quito director Esteban Paz, Luton are back in the race for the services of midfielder Zambrano in the upcoming January transfer window.

Luton Town manager Rob Edwards celebrates after the match on November 25, 2023 © Reuters

The Hatters are known to be casting their net far and wide in terms of recruitment since gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history in May.

Rob Edwards admitted following the summer that window Luton had sent head scout Phil Chapple to South America to watch a number of potential targets, including Zambrano in Sudamericana action.

Paz had stated in the past that the Hatters had seen a bid rejected by the Ecuadorian club for the midfielder, however Edwards denied that this was the case.

Speaking to news outlet Ole, Paz has claimed that Luton are back in the hunt for Zambrano along with other European clubs, however no official approaches have been made this time around.

"There are two or three at the most that are possibilities. Luton Town have returned to the table for Oscar Zambrano, but they have not confirmed anything. I don't want to go into this commentary either because I don't want to talk more about it," Paz told the media.

Luton Town's Tahith Chong celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on November 5, 2023 © Reuters

"Oscar is playing in finals, I don't want to take him out of this difficult moment of being 19 years old and thinking about having proposals from outside and they don't materialise. He knows that everything that happens in Liga we tell him and he knows it.

"Let's hope that there is a formal proposal, while there is not, he must remain focused on Liga and motivated."

Luton Town have focused their recruitment mainly on players who have impressed in the lower divisions of England so far, bringing in the likes of Tahith Chong and Mads Andersen.

Former Stoke City man Jacob Brown came off the bench to net the winner over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, handing the hosts at Kenilworth Road only their second success of the term.

The Hatters climbed above Paul Heckingbottom's Sheffield United in the table with that maximum on the weekend, and the Bedfordshire side will be aiming to record back-to-back wins when they travel to Brentford on Saturday.