Manchester United appear to have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Ecuadorian wonderkid Oscar Zambrano, who has an “unusual clause” in his current contract at his current club.
According to The Sun, Manchester United are chasing after Ecuadorian starlet Oscar Zambrano but could face a major roadblock in their pursuit due to a weird clause in the 19-year-old’s contract.
A number of other Premier League clubs are thought to be eyeing up the teenager, who many believe is good enough to become the next Moises Caicedo. He has broken into Quito’s senior team over the course of the past two years and has been lighting up the Ecuadorian league this season. The midfield maestro is already capped up to the Under-20 level with Ecuador.
Bournemouth are poised to strike, with an offer in excess of £4 million set to land in Quito this week. But the Cherries could find themselves outmuscled, with Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United now entering the race and are “accelerating” their efforts to sign the youngster.
The Old Trafford outfit notably failed to get a deal for Caicedo over the line before his move to Brighton in 2021, after showing significant interest in the player, and are trying to avoid making the same mistake once more as they see Zambrano as a replacement for ageing Brazilian Casemiro.
But Ten Hag’s hopes of being able to bring the 19-year-old to Old Trafford have been hit a roadblock. The LDU Quito youngster is apparently entitled to 15% of the sale price but is being persuaded to relinquish it in order to secure his dream move away from the Ecuadorian outfit. The players’ representatives think they have a right to the cash and will not compromise.
Should LDU Quito also refuse to budge, it will likely be the case that the suitor will be asked to pay extra in order to facilitate the deal. Luton Town and Bournemouth have made their stance clear that they have no plans to make up the loss, and United could well follow suit.
With British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ preparing to take control of all football matters at Old Trafford, United are extra careful this January due to Financial Fair Play concerns. Erik ten Hag is set to pursue loan deals or targets with reasonable asking prices as a result, and there have been no senior arrivals at Old Trafford as yet.
