Man Utd ‘to sign Odion Ighalo in £15m transfer this summer’ after successful loan spell from Shanghai Shenhua
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MANCHESTER UNITED are reportedly set to turn Odion Ighalo’s loan move into a £15million permanent deal this summer.
The striker scored four goals in eight appearances since his arrival from Shanghai Shenhua in January but had his hot streak curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The claim that Ighalo’s temporary switch from the Chinese Super League was due to end on May 31.
United may now need to negotiate an extension with Shenhua if the Premier League campaign continues into June.
However, world players’ union FIFPro is working on a solution to the uncertainty surrounding contracts amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Despite this, The Mail state “there is a willingness at Old Trafford to sign Ighalo permanently”.
Shenhua are willing to sell to United, placing a £15million asking price on the Nigeria striker's head, even though they asked for no loan fee due to the Red Devils picking up £130,000 of the 30-year-old’s £300k weekly wages.
Having missed out on a host of strikers, including Bournemouth’s Josh King, Ighalo’s Deadline Day signing was seen as a desperate move.
But he has impressed and now appears set to join the club he supported as a boy long-term.
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Ighalo was asked about his situation at the weekend, but he refused to give anything away while the coronavirus crisis grips the planet.
The ex-Watford frontman said: “Talking about other things now would not only be selfish but terribly insensitive.
“The challenge before us is not a football one, but a global one.
“You can’t put football before health challenges.”