Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua have reportedly told Manchester United that they will need to pay around £15m in order to sign Odion Ighalo on a permanent basis in the summer.
The 30-year-old made the switch to Old Trafford on loan during the dying stages of the January transfer window and United are understood to have agreed on the option to buy.
However, the club decided against negotiating the exact fee for a future transfer and they may have to pay a significant sum than the striker’s market value (£5.85m) to sign him on a long-term deal.
According to The Mirror, Shenhua pursued Ighalo from second-tier Chinese side for £5.25m in February 2019 but they are expected to demand nearly three times the figure (£15m) from United this summer.
Ighalo appeared a gamble signing when he made the move on deadline-day in January but he has proved his doubters wrong with his impressive tally of four goals and one assist in all competitions.
Of course, his goalscoring contributions have all come outside of the Premier League games but he has still made the most of the opportunity by accumulating those statistics from just three starts.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already dropped a big hint that the striker could stay with the club next season and it remains to be seen whether the board are willing to meet Shenhua’s demands.
Solskjaer will surely want a high-profile striker in the club’s ranks next term but Ighalo should prove a quality option to have on the bench, having already displayed his physical presence and good finishing skills in the box.
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