Ighalo may have played last game for Man Utd with club in stalemate with Shanghai Shenhua over extending loan transfer
ODION IGHALO may have played last his game for Manchester United after talks with Shanghai Shenhua over extending his loan deal hit a wall.
Under his current contract, the Nigerian striker, 30, is set to return to his parent club in China on May 31.
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But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to keep him until the end of the Premier League season after a superb start to life at Old Trafford following his January arrival.
However, talks over extending Ighalo's loan by a couple of months have hit a wall, with United fearful they may have to make do without him.
Ighalo has scored four times in eight games - including two goals in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Derby - in all competitions since his move to back to England in January.
With the 2019-20 season future still somewhat up in the air and finances across the football world hit hard by coronavirus, United are not pursuing a permanent deal for Ighalo yet.
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But Shanghai Shenhua have made it clear it's a permanent deal or nothing, demanding £20million for Ighalo - who trained with a mystery female partner in a Cheshire park on Tuesday.
The former Watford striker's loan deal - as it stands - does not include an option to buy at the end of the spell.
Solskjaer has made it clear he is hoping to sign a centre-forward this summer, with Timo Werner and Moussa Dembele both linked.
And those two - making waves in Europe this season - are likely to command a lower salary than Ighalo, who earns £300,000 a week in China.
The Premier League is hoping to restart next month with Man Utd pushing for Champions League qualification.
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United currently sit fifth - good enough for a spot in next season's top table of European football thanks to rivals Manchester City's two-year ban for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.
But with players fearful of a return to action too soon, PL chiefs will host a crunch meeting on Wednesday to attempt to convince them it is safe.
Raheem Sterling, Tyrone Ming, Danny Rose and Sergio Aguero have publicly voiced fears over football returning while the coronavirus daily death toll is still well into three figures.