Manchester United of England striker, Odion Jude Ighalo is not excited by interest expressed in his signature by The Red Devils’ English Premier League rivals, Newcastle United, as he would prefer staying put at Old Trafford, instead of moving to Saint James’ Park, megasportsarena.com reports.
A switch to Tyneside would see the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer take after three other Nigerian attackers, Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins as well as the Ameobi brothers, Shola and Sammy, plus former Super Eagles’ left-back, Celestine Babayaro, who all had glorious days with The Magpies, but Ighalo is having none of it.
Rather than think of moving to Newcastle, who are heading into a whiff of money with investors stepping in from Saudi Arabia, Ighalo is holding out for a full contract at United, which he joined in January on a short-term loan agreement from Shanghai Shenhua of China.
Details of the report by Sky Sports confirmed that Newcastle are interested in a summer transfer deal with Ighalo, once their impending £300m takeover is completed, but the striker is holding firmly to a different thought, as he is battling to stay with United, where he scored four goals in only eight matches, with just three in the starting line-up after his first two months in the team.
An additional report by British tabloid, The Sun revealed further that Ighalo is already planning on making a formal plea with Shenhua to either extend his loan spell or sell him outright to The Red Devils, as he does not want to end his Old Trafford dream just yet, even as his original loan agreement is set to run out at the end of this month.
However, Shenhua are only ready to let him have his way if they can cash in on the situation, such that the Chinese Super League club are demanding a permanent transfer fee of around £20m for any stay in England by Ighalo, who is desperate to be around for the remaining nine EPL fixtures of the suspended season, while also looking to try and help the side win the English FA Cup and UEFA Europa League, as they are still in contention for both.
His plans, though, run contrary with those of Shenhua, who are looking at the possibility of the Chinese season eventually starting next month, and they want Igahalo back, hence their earlier decision to offer him an improved contact worth 400,000 pounds a week up till 2024, but would be ready to let him stay put if United meet their transfer valuation of the ex-Eagles’ star.
United are keen to extend their loan deal so the 30-year-old striker, who many analysts and fans believe can help them achieve their ambitions once the EPL’s possibilities of a restart on June 1 materialise, amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Shenhua will only let Ighalo stay at Old Trafford if The Red Devils pay £20m to make the deal permanent.
Amidst all this, Newcastle have popped into the picture with plans to hijack Ighalo from United and Shenhua, as they are making moves to sign him once their takeover officially goes through, but the former Watford of England star has hinted that the only thought on his mind for now is how to get back into top shape in order to keep shining with The Red Devils.
To show his zeal for keeping his spot at United, Ighalo, who has also previously played for Prime FC of Osogbo, Julius Berger FC of Lagos, Lyn Oslo of Norway, Udinese of Italy, Granada of Spain and Changchun Yatai of China, quickly took to personal training session at Cheshire Public Park, soon after the British government announced a graduated process towards lifting the lockdown.
He was seen maintaining his fitness levels, few hours after the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson announced that top-level sport in England could restart behind closed doors from June 1 and, though spectators would not be able to attend venues until a vaccine is found, Ighalo does not want to disappoint anyone when the chips come down.
With that target already top of his mind, and the task of justifying a full contract to the bargain, Ighalo went on an individual session in The Red Devils’ training gear, as he took part in various training drills, with such seriousness on his face and lots of gusto in his veins, though he was in the park working along with an unidentified female partner.
A report by popular British tabloid, The Sun added: “In between various grueling training drills the loan ace chatted with the woman – who was also dressed in workout clothes. The Nigeria marksman kindly took time out of his exercise session to sign an autograph for a fan who chucked a note pad and pen to the striker, while abiding by the strict social distancing rules.
“A local pooch even decided to get involved and ran alongside the forward as he blasted out sprinting drills, which are likely to have been sent to the ace by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ighalo signed an autograph for a fan while sticking to social distancing rules, and a dog ran alongside the ace as he sprinted.
“The Government has given the Premier League the green light to resume behind closed doors from June 1. Cultural and sporting events will be allowed to take place without fans to avoid the risk of large-scale social contact but they will be broadcast.”
