Manchester United loanee Odion Ighalo has been offered a two-year contract extension worth more than £400,000 per week before tax by his parent club Shanghai Shenhua.
The deal is way beyond what United are prepared to offer, with Ighalo reportedly earning £130,000 a week from his short stay at Old Trafford and likely to be offered a permanent deal on similar money.
Ighalo’s current contract expires in December 2022 and Shanghai want to keep him until December 2024.
This move has made United’s hopes of keeping Ighalo at Old Trafford suffer a big setback.
The Chinese club want to reward the Nigerian striker for his good form at United, where he has scored four goals in his first three starts.
The 30-year-old’s loan in England expires on May 31, but as Sky Sports reported on Monday, it is likely to be extended until June 30 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ighalo’s deal though, is on United until his loan spell expires. He will wait to see if United offer him a permanent deal before making a final decision on his future.
Ighalo has always said it has been a dream playing for United, the club he supported as a boy.