Hull City owner Acun Ilicali is hopeful the club can strike a deal for Ecuador midfielder Oscar Zambrano after admitting he wants to bring the youngster back to the MKM Stadium.
Zambrano has been sidelined since November 5 after being slapped with a doping ban for an offence committed when he was playing for LDU Quito.
The 21-year-old was initially handed a 16-month ban but that was reduced to 12 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this year, and he’ll be able to play again from November 3, 2025.
As part of the loan deal which brought him to the MKM Stadium in August, City had the option to make his move permanent and those terms are being discussed between both clubs now in a bid to thrash out a deal.
No agreement on the fee City will pay has yet been agreed between the two clubs but there’s a desire to get a deal agreed sooner rather than later.
“There are some negotiations,” Ilicali told Hull Live. “The problem at the moment is not about wanting each other. The problem is about some numbers. So if we can get the numbers, Oscar will be with us, and I love him.
“I mean, he was the top player in the young World Cup, and everybody was impressed with his big performance two years ago. Of course, he was very sad about missing the games, but thank God that now his time out of football is reduced, and if we can just finish the deal, we will see him after November. I think in January he will be like our new transfer.”