Rodgers could land his next Ndidi in Celtic deal for £5.5 million machine.

This month, the Hoops were linked with a move for the central midfield player.

Celtic may look to bolster their midfield options this month, as the January transfer window opened last week.

HITC recently reported that the Hoops are one of the clubs interested in signing Oscar Zambrano, a defensive midfielder for LDU Quito.
According to the outlet, Celtic and Rangers are both keeping an eye on the talented youngster but have yet to make a formal approach for his services.
Bournemouth are in ‘advanced’ talks to sign the Ecuadorian whiz, who has been compared to Chelsea star and compatriot Moises Caicedo.

The Sun has since reported that both the Cherries and Luton are willing to pay £5.5 million for him, but the hold-up is due to a 15% sell-on clause owed to the teenage talent, which his club wants him to waive.

If the Hoops win the race to sign him, Brendan Rodgers may have found his next Wilfred Ndidi.
Ndidi’s final full season with Rodgers in numbers
The pair’s last full season together was in 2021/22, when the Nigeria international made 19 Premier League appearances in midfield for the Foxes.

Ndidi demonstrated his exceptional defensive abilities by averaging 5.4 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 54% in the top flight.
He also completed 80% of his attempted passes and did not contribute a single goal or assist to his team’s top-end performance, demonstrating how much the defensive midfielder focused on keeping the opposition out.

The following season, Ndidi averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per match for Leicester, who were relegated under Rodgers and Dean Smith.
Statistics that demonstrate why Zambrano could be Ndidi 2.0.

Celtic’s manager could discover the next version of the Foxes star by signing Zambrano, who has the potential to be an excellent midfielder.
At the age of 19, the £5.5 million-rated enforcer is far from finished and may struggle to match Ndidi’s defensive output during his peak years for Rodgers.
At the age of 19, the £5.5 million-rated enforcer is far from finished and may struggle to match Ndidi’s defensive output during his peak years for Rodgers.

However, his performance for Ecuador at the U20 World Cup last year suggests that he possesses the fundamental skills to function effectively as a number six.

Zambrano averaged 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game and won 55% of his duels in four appearances for his country at the tournament.

However, he only averaged 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game across 24 Serie A matches for his team in 2023, indicating that the Hoops target is still adjusting to first-team football and that more development is required for him to excel in a senior setting.

The teenage whiz, who was once dubbed “unbelievable” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, also demonstrated his creativity at the U20 World Cup, making 2.3 key passes per game.

Ndidi has averaged 0.5 key passes per match throughout his career, implying that Zambrano could provide more in possession while also being able to disrupt opposition attacks at a high rate with tackles and interceptions.

However, there is no guarantee that the 19-year-old machine will be able to translate and improve on his U20 World Cup form at the senior level, and Rodgers may have to take that risk in order to find his next Ndidi in the coming years.

in other news,  Fabrizio Romano releases a Celtic transfer update on highly-rated star Rocco Vata.