Shanghai Shenhua offer Man Utd extension to Ighalo with a major catch

Shanghai Shenhua will allow Odion Ighalo to remain at Manchester United until January on the condition that he signs a new contract with the Chinese club, according to reports.

United remain locked in talks with Shanghai Shenhua about extending the striker’s stay at Old Trafford, with his current deal set to run out on Monday.

The Chinese side have been adamant throughout the discussions that Ighalo must return to China ahead of the start of the new Chinese Super League season, pencilled in for the end of June at the earliest.

The only previous deal they were willing to consider was another loan deal with an obligation to buy.

However, there were signs earlier this week that Shanghai Shenhua’s stance had softened and, according to Sky Sports News, they have now agreed to let the Nigeria international stay until January.

The source says that Ighalo will now be allowed to stay in Manchester before he then returns to China to fulfil his new deal with his parent club.

It is added that the striker will earn £400,000 as part of his new deal in Asia, which will run until December 2024.

Part of Shanghai Shenhua’s decision to soften their stance comes from the fact that Ighalo may not be allowed back into China before the end of June due to border restrictions.

Ighalo revealed after his move to Old Trafford how he stayed up long into the night after deadline day had passed, in a bid to see his dream move go through.

read also:Ighalo happy to sacrifice £80k-a-week to stay at Man Utd

The 30-year-old lifelong United fan hit the ground running underboss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before the season’s extended break, scoring four goals in three starts.

Indeed, Ighalo scored in United’s last game, a 5-0 win over Austrian side LASK which effectively put the Red Devils into the quarter-finals of the Europa League.