A fresh angle has cropped up in permutations about whether former Super Eagles’ striker, Odion Jude Ighalo will stick with Manchester United beyond this summer, or return to his parent club, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua of China, as a football expert in England believes The Red Devils cannot afford to pay the star his current market value.
Megasportsaeena.com gathered thart, with Shenhua having recently put before Ighalo a mammoth offer of a contract extension worth £400,000 a week, United may be forced to let go of the in-form striker when his loan expires at the end of June, simply because they cannot afford to pay him that kind of money.
Rather than sink a fortune on Ighalo, who made top marks in his first two months at United, despite initial doubts about his ability to adapt to life at the high-profile club and overcome effects of his age, United appear set to expand their spending focus in the summer.
The club’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward admitted he does not envisage that it will be business as usual at Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, despite revenues of £627.1m for 2018-19 keeping the club among the richest worldwide, but their top shots remain rather uncomfortable about being linked with big-money signings amid effects of coronavirus.
United, who also signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon of Portugal in January for a deal that could rise to £68m, are vying for silverware in the English FA Cup and UEFA Europa League as their coach, Ole Gonnar Solskjaer seeks the first trophy of his tenure, and Ighalo has played a key role already by scoring in both competitions.
Solskjaer, who steered his side to an unbeaten 11-game run in all competitions prior to the suspension of football in March, is bidding to lead United to a return to Champions League qualification, but the moguls at Old Trafford are cautious about splashing cash after COVID-19.
Dramatically, as The Red Devils prepare to resume training on May 18th of May, another cost-cutting scheme put in place by the officials might see all the players having to undertake laundry washing themselves after training.
Although the official explanation is that it is part of hygiene measures at Old Trafford, a report by Daily Mail hinted that it is another sign of financial restrictions now rocking The Theatre of Dreams, thereby putting further doubt on their ability to pay Ighalo, who scored four goals in eight games for the Manchester-based club before the outbreak of coronavirus.
A report by Sky Sports reporter, Dharmesh Sheth has now detailed that, although United’s top brass and Solskjaer appreciate what Ighalo has done since joining them on loan in January, their hands are tied over the money Shenhua have put on the table for him.
Sheth expatiated: “Manchester United have been very impressed and pleased with the progress that Mason Greenwood has made this season. But they do remain in the market for a striker, and the one that they want is a player that is already in their squad, Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua of course.
“Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is very impressed with the impact that Ighalo has made this season and sees Ighalo as a man of experience who can help some of the younger players, including Mason Greenwood.
“However, this deal is not as easy as it sounds. That’s because Shanghai Shenhua have offered Ighalo a new contract worth around £400,000-a-week. That’s simply a wage that Manchester United would not pay.”
