MAN UNITED TO HAND IGHALO £15M PERMANENT DEAL AFTER DREAM START

 Odion Ighalo

Manchester United will hand Odion Ighalo a permanent deal of £15million this summer after it emerged the Nigerian striker’s loan runs out on May 31. Ighalo’s temporary move from Shanghai Shenhua, according to Sportsmail, is set to end a month earlier than most loan deals.

 United may have to negotiate an extension with the Chinese club if the Premier League season — on hold until the end of April —continues into June, although world players’ union FIFPro is working on a solution to the contract uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis.

 Either way, there is already a willingness at Old Trafford to sign Ighalo permanently after the former Watford striker scored four goals in his first eight matches. 

Shanghai are prepared to sell Ighalo and have put a £15m valuation on the player, who will be 31 in June. They did not ask for a loan fee in January because United agreed to contribute £130,000 a week towards Ighalo’s wages of £300,000 a week. 

Discussing his contract situation at the weekend, Ighalo 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 .’ 

After United’s win against LASK earlier this month, Solskjaer gave an indication that United were interested in making Ighalo’s move permanent. ‘He will improve and get better,’ said the United boss. ‘He has the qualities we saw in him that we needed. And we will still need those qualities next season — so let’s see what we will do.’