Paris Saint-Germain never ceases to surprise us on the transfer market. After having (almost) locked down two young Brazilian players, Gabriel Moscardo from Corinthians and Lucas Beraldo from São Paulo, the Parisian management seems determined to shop in South America. Indeed, according to the Ecuadorian journalist, José Alberto Molestina who works for the channel RTS Ecuador, the capital club intends to beat emerging competition for the signature of the young Ecuadorian striker, Allen Obando (17 years old). The one who plays under the colors of SC Barcelona, currently ranked 2nd in the Ecuadorian First Division, has caught the eye of Paris Saint-Germain. An information gathering during which the price of the principal concerned would have been fixed: 12 million euros.
This information from Guayaquil was confirmed and relayed in other South American presses, notably in the Argentinian columns of Olé but also of DSportssports branch of the South American media giant Direct TV, who even added additional details. Indeed, according to our colleagues, the Parisians would be ready to make a first offer of around 7 million euros to secure the services of Allen Obando. A proposal that PSG hopes will be quite convincing, while the shadows of AS Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and the City Football Group clubs (Manchester City, Girona, New York City FC, Palermo, etc.) hover over the entourage of the U17 international (9 caps, 4 goals). But a question therefore arises: who is this Allen Obando that Europe is starting to love?
A precocious player already professional
If Brazil and Argentina are the two South American countries that naturally come to mind when we talk about the nuggets and other stars of tomorrow, other smaller countries such as Uruguay, Chile but also Ecuador are also capable of producing new gems of world football. Born on June 13, 2006 in Quito, Allen Obando fell into football at a very young age. For the Ecuadorian media Expresso, his parents recounted their son’s journey. Carlos Obando, Allen’s father, is a lawyer by profession and a football fan by passion, while Monserrat, his mother, also has the sport in her veins. They remember that football entered their lives when they lived in the La Victoria neighborhood, at the entrance to Esmeraldas. Here, Allen began playing at the age of five on a clay and stone court. He was part of the Tolita Sport team before catching the eye of the biggest clubs including Independiente del Valle: “Allen was nine years old and I took him for a test. At Borbón he played as a midfielder. However, in Sangolquí they placed him as a striker, there he got tired, he grew up and the people of Independiente rejected him. At the time, I had to carry his ID card, no one believed he was that age, because he was tall”explains his father.
Shortly after this episode, SC Barcelona came to the rescue by inviting Allen and his father Carlos to a tournament in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and it was here that the first national spotlight fell on Obando. Thanks to a goal from Allen, his team won the competition at the Mundialito stadium in Guayaquil. Faced with such a demonstration, President Alfaro Moreno asked to speak with Allen’s family in order to offer him the opportunity to officially wear the colors of SC Barcelona, when Allen was still only 10 years old: “Alfaro Moreno told us that they were going to give him a house, studies and training. He gave us two options: train in Esmeraldas or go live in Guayaquil, and Allen told us he wanted to go there., remembers his father Carlos. Little by little, he established himself in the youth classes of SC Barcelona to the point of making his professional debut in 2022 at the age of 16. He progressed well through the club’s academy, establishing himself as a prolific goalscorer, with then-manager Jorge Célico later stating that he was a player with “an impressive and promising future”. Before injuring his lower back this season, Allen Obando even celebrated his first goal in his team’s victory against Deportivo Cuenca (2-1).
The future biggest sale of SC Barcelona
Just recently, Manuel Sierra, agent and representative of the player, spoke on the airwaves Area Deportiva FMwhere he discussed the current situation in Obando: “Several clubs have already asked about Allen Obando. There is an official offer that we are discussing with Alfaro Moreno, he has already attracted the interest of many”, he then declared in October. Since then, everything seems to have accelerated around the native of Quito with many clubs coming to seek information from the management of SC Barcelona. Moreover, Carlos Alfaro Moreno, the president of Ídolo del Ecuador, revealed that Allen Obando could become a historic transfer for the yellow team: “Barcelona, with a player of this caliber that they brought in at the age of 10 from the Esmeralda academy, is going to be the most important transfer in its history. We’ll see when that happens. Some offers were made, including a physical to make a decision. We told the parents that together we decide and wait a little longer.”said the leader in an exclusive interview for Goal TV.
In its history, the SC Barcelona club has recorded three good sales. The most expensive transfer in history is that of Cristian Penilla, who left Guayaquil in 2015 to join Pachuca in exchange for 4.5 million euros. Then comes the legend Damian Diaz, emblematic captain and one of the best scorers in the club’s history with 80 goals and 79 assists in 324 matches, who decided to pack his bags to join Al-Wahda in the United Arab Emirates for a value of 3.3 million euros. At the foot of the podium, the unfortunate Byron Castillo, known in Europe for having been the subject of a FIFA investigation for an administrative problem which almost cost Ecuador’s qualification for the last World Cup, had left the SC Barcelona club to sign with Club León in Mexico for just under 3 million euros. The future transfer of Allen Obando will logically explode these three previous sales. It’s now a matter of months…
