Man Utd Face Battle To Keep Odion Ighalo As Newcastle New Owners Show Interest

Shanghai Shenhua are waiting for Odion Ighalo to return from his loan spell at Old Trafford for the start of the new Chinese Super League season which begins in July.

Though Manchester United are keen to extend Ighalo’s loan but as it stands, the Chinese club value will only allow the Nigerian to remain at Old Trafford if it is on a permanent deal and Shanghai Shenhua value him upwards of £20m.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are understood to be interested in Ighalo if their proposed takeover is completed this summer.

Ighalo revealed last month there is “no offer on the table yet” from Manchester United over extending his stay at the club beyond his current loan spell, despite Solskjaer hinting that a deal could be made.

The Nigerian striker has however been offered a two-year contract extension by Shanghai worth £400,000 a week.

Ighalo’s current contract expires in December 2022, but Shanghai want to keep the 30-year-old until at least December 2024.

This season’s loan deals expire on June 30 and, if the Premier League resumes, there are possibilities of games spilling over into July which could cause issues for Ighalo and some 162 others contracted to top-flight clubs.