Odion Ighalo edged closer to completing a permanent transfer to Manchester United after his parent club Shanghai Shenhua identified his replacement.
The 30-year-old is set to sign for United in a £15million deal this summer after he impressed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sufficiently during his brief loan spell.
Ighalo has scored two goals in two starts in the Europa League and scored a further two goals in the FA Cup, while making four appearances from the bench in the Premier League before the coronavirus pandemic forced the footballing season to be postponed.
Despite only being at Old Trafford a relatively short amount of time, Ighalo has impressed United staff with his application and performances.
A decision has been made to sign him on a permanent basis, with a £15m fee demanded to extend his stay in the Premier League, and Shanghai Shenhua are happy to let him leave after identifying former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins to replace him, according to Chinese outlet Titan Sports Plus.
Martins, who also played for Inter Milan, played for the Chinese Super League side between 2016 and 2018 and scored 19 goals in 40 league appearances.
The 35-year-old has not played since being released by the club due to a string of injury issues. But he is now set to return, which could pave the way for Ighalo to seal his move.
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