Odion Ighalo Likely To Finish Season With Man Utd But Only On Loan Deal

Following reports that Odion Ighalo will return to China when his loan deal with Manchester United end on May 30, the Nigerian's agent made public the possibility of Ighalo wrapping up the season's campaign still playing for the Red Devils. If the ongoing talks will lead to an agreement, Ighalo will see his contract extended.

This was the impression made by Ladi Salami, who reported that an agreement between his client and United is "very close" to getting finalized. It is understood that the only details being threshed out is Ighalo's wage in the remaining games he will appear for the Old Trafford banner.

"The Super Eagle [Ighalo] feels very good in Manchester with which it is very close to a salary agreement ... Negotiations with the Chinese are ongoing and are going well," Metro reported the agent as saying, picking up on the report of French publication FootMercato.

Salami, likewise, indicated that the £30 million selling price set by Shanghai Shenhua on the Nigerian striker will not be met by United. That should mean that the deal being worked out at the moment is but an extension of Ighalo's current arrangement with the Premier League.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated previously he was impressed by the performance shown by the loan signing upon arrival in January. The 30-year-old played in nine games before the season was suspended and scored four goals.

It is noteworthy that the striker's efforts contributed to the winning run by United in the last few months. Since his arrival and that of Bruno Fernandes, the Solskjaer's side won 11 consecutive games that United surging to No. 5 of the Premier League table.

However, retaining Ighalo on the roster could be a difficult decision for the Norwegian boss. One thing that could prevent him from signing the Nigerian is the high price tag that he came with.

Also, Marcus Rashford has just recovered from injury and his better form in the ahead could convince United to pass up on Ighalo when the season end.

Still, Solskjaer said he remains optimistic that Ighalo's parent team will be open to discuss a better deal that would allow the forward to keep playing for his dream team.

"It's been a dream for him and hopefully he can finish off what he started, maybe with a trophy or two," Talk Sport reported the team manager as saying.

Solskjaer said the parties concerned are trying to hammer down the details of an extension but no agreement is in sight at the moment. He added that the Chinese Super League will restart soon but hopefully something can be arranged before that happens.